All Will End Well
by Whosepride
Summary: A modern P&P with a few twists. Set in London. Darcy has given up on dating. But when a certain lady with fine eyes comes to work in his office - he's bewitched. Throw in some off - handed comments, some ego crushing and some serious awkwardness. COMPLETE! Epilogue is up!
1. The First Meeting!

**Disclaimer: However much I wish otherwise, the characters belong to Miss Jane Austen.**

"It's mine,"

"Excuse me, have you paid for it?" asked a bemused gentleman

"No, but I saw it first and it's mine," said a pretty lady with fine eyes.

"No way, this pair of gloves is mine,"

"Not a chance sir, if that crazy old lady didn't block me, I would have reached here before you. So these are mine,"

"Find something else. I am taking these,"

"It's Christmas in two days and I want those for my girlfriend," s_he lied, she wanted it for her sister – Jane._

"Exactly, and I want it for my girlfriend," _he lied he wanted it for Charles, who wanted it for his girlfriend – Jane._

The crazy old lady came and took the pair of gloves in question and hurried off to the billing counter.

They cried in unison, "What the hell?"

"That happened because of you old man,"

"What? It was your mistake miss," and almost as an afterthought he added, "and I am not old,"

To this Lizzy rolled her eyes and walked away.

* * *

Lizzy called her sister and said, "Those were perfect for you Jane; I could have got them if not for that stupid-hot jerk,"

"It's okay Lizzy, he must have want them too," an angel like voice replied.

"Yeah I guess you're right," replied Elizabeth.

"The ones you got will also go with my dress, right?"

"Yes," she replied in an almost inaudible voice.

"Then, forget about the man. Anyways, I'll get to mom and dads' in fifteen minutes, where are you?"

"I'm on my way I'll probably beat you by five minutes –haha!

"That's the Lizzy I know and Lizzy, please don't tell mom about the gloves incident,"

"That I definitely won't. She'll blame me for it,"

"She means well, Lizzy,"

"I disagree, but no arguments there,"

"I'll see you in fifteen,"

"Okay, I'll see you then."

* * *

"You look gorgeous Jane! I'm sure Charles will not be able to take his eyes off you,"

To this Jane blushed and replied, "Oh! Stop it Lizzy,"

"You will see and I know I'm not wrong," and added, "I'll call Charlotte and see if she needs anything and we can pick it up on our way,"

"Okay, I'll tell mom and dad we are going," said Jane.

"Fine, I'll meet you out front. I don't want to see mom before going,"

And she walked without hearing her sister's defence of their mother.

Mrs Bennet meant 'well' but she also believed that Elizabeth was an obstinate girl who never does what is told especially by her, which was quite true. But could you blame her? Elizabeth was twenty-three and an exceptionally talented interior designer but all her mother talked about was Marriage-Marriage and Marriage.

* * *

"Does she need anything?" Jane asked as she entered the hired taxi.

"Nope, just says to hurry up,"

"Okay," and added, "I also invited a friend of Charles, William... something and probably his sisters will also be there,"

"Not his sisters - they disgust me! And is this the same William, Caroline keeps drooling about," said Elizabeth.

"Probably, she was ecstatic when I said that Charles should bring his friend," replied Jane.

"So, you haven't seen him?"

"Nope,"

After a few minutes of silence Jane said," You never completed about this promotion you got,"

"Oh! Right sorry I forgot, I am now the head designer at the London office of interior designs for Pemberley Hotels," said Lizzy.

"Congratulations Lizzy! I am so proud of you,"

"Thank you, Jane," replied Lizzy while hugging her sister. Breaking the silence consumed hug Lizzy said, "And I finally get to meet the owner of Pemberley, Mr Darcy,"

* * *

"Happy birthday Charlotte," Jane and Elizabeth shrieked ecstatically as soon as Charlotte opened the door.

"Thank you," she replied with equal enthusiasm, partly because of the loud music.

They went in and greeted Charlotte's parents(whose home it was) and met everyone.

The last entrants of the party rang the doorbell. It was Charles, his sister and his friend; sorry scratch that, the hot jerk from the super market.

**A/N: Let me know what you think.**


	2. Not Handsome Enough!

**A/N: Thank you for all those who reviewed, alerted, favourite-d and read the first chapter.**

**Disclaimer: My initials are TB. Go laugh away! Definitely not JA.**

As soon as they entered, the whole room looked towards them with awe, as if they were some billionaires; which was actually true for Charles and by the looks of it, William looked even a bigger player than him. The entire party which unfortunately included a Caroline Bingley hanging on William's arm entered. The silence in the room was finally broken when Charles wished his hostess a very happy birthday in his usual cheerful voice.

Charles was a cheerful and agreeable man. He was very well suited for Jane as she had a similar disposition. She was unassuming and thought good of everyone in the world. That was hardly the case with Lizzy, she enjoyed finding fault in people and making witty comments, a trait inherited from her father

Jane hurried towards Charles while taking Lizzy by the elbow. Bingley was awestruck by Jane and his mouth was literally hanging. Jane was wearing a beautiful light blue dress with her hair tied up in a bun and a few curls hanging onto the side. "You look gorgeous Jane," Charles said and Jane blushed to a very dark shade of red. "Thank you Charles," she replied as he placed a quick kiss on Jane's right cheek and introduced his friend.

"This is my friend Fitzwilliam," to Jane and Lizzy and then them to him, "This is Jane and Elizabeth, her sister," He gave them a cold nod and almost reluctantly added, "Nice to meet you,"

Fitzwilliam was richer and somewhat handsomer than Charles but his manners were nothing in comparison to that of his friend. He always had a scowl on his face. During his first fifteen minutes at the party; he did not even talk to Caroline (who by the way was following him like a lost puppy) save anybody else.

* * *

Lizzy, accidently, found herself standing beside Fitzwilliam, who was dressed impeccably in a Giorgio Armani suit with a clean shaven face. His hair were dark and he was positively tall, bordering on 6 2".

He started, "So Jane is your supposed girlfriend then," _He had seen Lizzy purchase those other pair of gloves._

Lizzy retorted by saying, "I could say the same for you,"_ She had seen him buying the scarf which Charles gave to Jane._

To this Fitzwilliam chuckled and offered his hand, "Fitzwilliam but you can call me Will or William," Lizzy reluctantly took it and said, "Lizzy,"

"Nice to meet you, Lizzy,"

* * *

Lizzy was sitting with Charlotte and they were talking about their Christmas plans and about their respective jobs. Charlotte was a lawyer and had given her bar exam that year. Lizzy told her about her promotion.

"Congratulations Lizzy. I am proud of you," said Charlotte "Is your new office also in Canary Wharf?"

With a proud grin on her face she replied, "No, it's in Square Mile, (The City of London) almost 3 miles from my current office,"

"It's good that you decided to sublet with Jane. The distance will not be that great," Charlotte supported Lizzy.

"Yes, I think so too," Lizzy said enthusiastically. She was really thrilled by the promotion and by the fact that she will get to work in the main office in London.

"So when will you start?"

"After Boxing day," replied Lizzy, "Wednesday will be my first day there,"

They were happily conversing until they heard William and Charles talking. They were separated by false partition with Lizzy and Charlotte on one side and William and Charles on the other.

"Come Will, I must have you dance. You look stupid standing here all by yourself," Charles was saying.

"You certainly shall not. I do not know anybody here and it will be a punishment to stand with some random drunk lady,"

"Stop being so fastidious Will. Besides there are many women who are not drunk and are very pretty,"

"Your girlfriend is the only pretty lady in the room Bingley,"

Lizzy could almost feel Bingley blush at that last comment but was also struck by how much arrogant a person can possibly be. Seeing William, she came to the conclusion – very much.

"She is not my girlfriend, not yet anyway, but she is the most beautiful creature," Charles said, "her sister, Lizzy is also here and she is also very pretty,"

After a little pause Lizzy heard William speaking, "She is tolerable but not handsome enough to tempt me to get to the floor. Bingley, you are wasting your time with me. Go to your partner and enjoy her smiles,"

"Very well then, if you are not going to listen to me. Then I must go," were the last words heard by Lizzy and Charlotte.

Charlotte was quick at consoling Lizzy, "He does not know you Lizzy. He is mad to have said that,"

"I do not care for what he thinks. He is just some stuck-up snob," Lizzy replied while getting up and following Charlotte, getting past the false partition. "Yes, that he definitely seems to be," Charlotte said with a smile on her face and Lizzy started laughing. William could see them laughing and seeing his expression one could say he regretted writing off Lizzy as a git so quickly.

* * *

The rest of the party was largely uneventful. Jane had eyes only for Charles and Charles was likewise engaged. William hardly talked to anyone except for Caroline and his friend. Lizzy was always beside Charlotte - sometimes talking, sometimes dancing or sometimes just being there. It was finally at one-thirty on Christmas Eve that the party ended and everybody got ready to leave. Jane and Lizzy were escorted to their mom and dads' by Charlotte's father, who said, "It will not do for two young girls to go alone at this hour,"

**Happy Reading!**


	3. Meet the Bennets

**Disclaimer: However much I wish otherwise, the characters belong to Miss Jane Austen.**

Lizzy and Jane woke up at a little past eight. While at their parents' house, they shared Jane's childhood room. When Lizzy moved out, Mrs Bennet was quick to change her room to a guest room, whose current inhabitant was one Mr Bill Collins. Bill was Mr Bennet's old friend's son, who apparently had ended their friendship on a rather sour note. Bill was primarily here to make amends and secondarily (now if you come to think of it, it may be the primary reason) select a future companion for himself from among the Bennet sisters.

Jane was very happy with events of the previous day. She had said to Lizzy,"Charles is wonderful. He is what every young man ought to be-sensible, agreeable and cheerful,"

"And also very handsome," Lizzy added cheekily, "which a young man ought to likewise be, if he possibly can,"

"Oh Lizzy, I was very much pleased when he stayed beside me throughout the evening,"

"I am very happy for you Jane, I am sure he will soon ask you on a real date," said Lizzy, "Though I hope I never see that William again,"

"What do you mean, Lizzy?"

"Didn't you see how he behaved last night," said Lizzy, "Besides, he called me only tolerable,"

Seeing a questioning look on her sister's face, Lizzy made her acquainted with the happenings of the previous day – how he was the one because of whom she could not get the gloves and how he had called her 'only tolerable'.

Jane's reaction, as expected, one of defence, "Surely, Lizzy he must have been in a foul mood,"

"Yeah right," said Lizzy sarcastically, "We should really get ready if we have to face the odious Mr Collins at breakfast,"

* * *

"Bill, why don't you sit here," said Mrs Bennet, while directing Bill towards the chair next to Lizzy.

"Yes of course Mrs Bennet!" said Bill enthusiastically, "You are very kind," Then Bill rambled about his esteemed patroness Lady Catherine de Bourgh, "She is the kindest lady you'll ever meet. Why, she is the one who taught me to compliment a lady every now and then,"

Mr Bennet was very amused and rather bored by the man's rant about Lady Catherine; he cut in, "So these little compliments are work of past study or inventions of the moment,"

"I usually plan on what to say before but am very careful that while bestowing the compliment – it comes across as a work of the moment," he replied without caring for the hint of sarcasm in Mr Bennet's voice.

Mr Bennet and Lizzy were about burst out laughing when Mrs Bennet's horrified look forced to check themselves.

Later in the day Lizzy found herself in her father's study. Mr Bennet was saying, "Congratulations on the promotion, Lizzy! You have made me very proud,"

"Thank you, papa,"

"I still remember the day when you handed mum and I your first pay check two years ago," said and emotional Mr Bennet, "We were happy beyond words. And now…Oh... You've grown too fast Lizzy," Mr Bennet said while embracing his daughter in a comforting hug.

"Well, well," continued Mr Bennet, "So how was the party yesterday? Did you enjoy yourselves?"

"Yes very much, Bingley was at Jane's side the whole evening. I had a good time teasing her about it," said Lizzy, "Though there was one Fitzwilliam, whom I hated,"

"Do tell,"

Then Lizzy told Mr Bennet of William's 'questionable' behaviour. Mr Bennet was quick to express his dislike towards the man.

* * *

Later in the day, Mrs Fanny Bennet, her two daughters along with Mr Collins were assembled in the drawing room. Bill was rambling about her one and only Lady Catherine de Bourgh, "She has an absolutely wonderful taste of music. Why, only day before yesterday, she took me to see the opera and how wonderful it was! I don't have words to express the feeling I had while watching the opera,"

Fanny was curious to know as to what this Lady Catherine actually did. So she cut in, "So Bill, what does Lady Catherine do?"

"Oh! She has enough for herself. So, she has taken it upon herself to promote budding artists. Why, she only gave me a job as an accountant at her company – Rosings Philanthropy House. She has also provided me with a flat in Birmingham," a ranting Collins said, "She always looks out for me. Only a week ago she told me that I should find a future companion,"

Mrs Bennet was positively giddy after hearing Collins' last words. Lizzy was just irritated by Collins' use of the word – Lady Catherine, Why, she only and she is this and she is that. Jane had exited the room long before when a phone call had come for her. _Lucky Jane, Lizzy thought._

"Lizzy," Jane said, "Caroline has invited us for a party on Boxing Day,"

"Oh! Did she now?" said Lizzy with a hint of sarcasm.

"Please don't be like that," Jane, ever the angel, said, "Anyways, she said she would be glad if we could make it and when I told her about Mr Collins, she said we should bring him too,"

"What? Why would you do that?"

"Come on Lizzy, he will be gone in four days,"

"Well, if you say that… its okay," said Lizzy, "Where is the party,"

"At Bingleys' residence in West London,"

"Well, that's good. I will be able to see your Charles' home now,"

"He is not my Charles, Lizzy,"

Lizzy rolled her eyes and walked away.

* * *

At night, the whole family went to church for the Christmas Eve mass.

**A/N: ****Happy Reading!**


	4. At the Bingley's

**Disclaimer : However much I wish otherwise, the characters belong to Miss Jane Austen.**

Christmas was a simple affair at the Bennet household. The family had a good dinner and exchanged gifts while singing a few carols. The house was decorated with a lot of bells, candies, balls, Santa and a beautiful Christmas tree.

Mrs Bennet paid every possible attention to Mr Collins and he in turn graced Elizabeth with his unwanted attention.

"I hear you are working for Pemberley Hotels, Elizabeth," inquired Bill.

"Yes, I am," replied Elizabeth in monosyllables.

"Do you know Mr Darcy is Lady Catherine's nephew?"

"I am afraid, I had not the slightest idea. In fact, I have never even met Mr Darcy,"

"Oh! What a pity! He is gentleman indeed. Very gracious and charming," replied Bill, rather animatedly, "Lady Catherine always has high praises for him. I hope I will be able to meet him soon,"

"Sure," commented Lizzy nonchalantly.

"So how long do you plan on working before settling down?"

"What do you mean?" said a very agitated Elizabeth.

"Don't get angry. I am just asking as a friend. You will eventually quit your job and start a family, Right?"

A phone call for Collins saved him from the wrath he was about to be subjected to by Elizabeth.

"_Bill Collins speaking….oh Mrs de Bourgh how are you madam … I am very well thank you…yes of course, I will leave immediately….Oh it's my pleasure…I am sure she will understand,"_

"I am very sorry Mrs Bennet but Lady Catherine needs me back in Birmingham immediately," said Collins, "I want to thank you for your very kind service. Elizabeth, it was great to meet you and hopefully when we meet again we can get to know each other better,"

"Oh yes! Elizabeth would very much like that, won't you, Lizzy?" said Mrs Bennet and before Elizabeth could say anything she continued, "Please give my regards to Lady Catherine, Bill,"

"Of course, Mrs Bennet but now I must really get going," replied Collins, "Goodbye everyone,"

Elizabeth was grateful for one thing – she and Jane would not have to tolerate the intolerable Collins at the party.

* * *

The Bennet sisters were very excited for the party at night. Charles had a really grand house on Kensington Palace Gardens. They wanted to look perfect for this event and used Jane's fashion skills for the same. Jane decided to wear a full length turquoise colour dress. She looked amazing and the dress really brought out her light blue eyes in a wonderful way. Elizabeth wore a full length green dress which complimented her hazel coloured and brown flecked eyes perfectly. Both sisters decided to tie their blonde (Jane's) and brown (Elizabeth's) hair and let a few curls hang. They looked exquisite.

"Girls, you look very beautiful. I am sensing trouble," joked Mr Bennet.

"Papa!" said Jane smiling, "Thank you, anyways!"

While entering the lobby Mrs Bennet said, "You look marvellous, Jane!" and added, "You also look beautiful, Lizzy."

Now it was Lizzy's turn to be shocked, Fanny thought she looked beautiful. WOW. So before the moment passed she replied, "Thank you, mama,"

"So you'll be going straight to your apartment after the party?" asked Mr Bennet.

"Yes, I have to start the new job tomorrow. Don't want to be late on the first day," said Lizzy.

"Well, well, you'll do great there," said Mr Bennet, "Enjoy the party girls. You really deserve some break,"

"Thank you, papa," said the Bennet sisters while exiting.

* * *

When Jane pulled the car in the driveway of the Bingley's residence, the expression on the sisters' faces was one of awe. The house was magnificent. Numerous cars were already parked and the house was buzzing with guests. Suddenly, Jane's Honda Jazz seemed a bit out of place. But they couldn't care less. They were here to meet Charles and have a good time.

* * *

Charles and Caroline were just outside the house when the Bennet sisters had come. "Welcome to our house Jane and Elizabeth," said Caroline and Charles immediately looked in her direction. His mouth was quite literally hanging.

"You look marvellous, Jane," said a red faced Charles and after seeing Elizabeth, he embarrassingly added, "You look great, Lizzy. Thank you so much for coming,"

Jane was blushing profusely so Lizzy replied for both of them, "Thank you, Charles and thank you inviting us,"

Finally recovering Jane said, "Thank you Charles. You look very handsome yourself." Charles face could not get any redder. Then they saw William pulling up his black Bentley. Caroline got very excited when she saw William walking towards her. (Actually them)

"You are finally here," said Charles.

"I am sorry for getting late. I had to drop off Georgie to her friend's," replied Will, "Hello Jane. Hello Elizabeth." Caroline was left unmentioned.

"Hello," greeted the sisters.

"That's quite okay, Will. Let's go inside. It's freezing out here," said Caroline trying to get his attention.

Charles showed them in and quickly asked Jane for a dance. They danced in silence. Each too embarrassed to look at one other in the eye. Elizabeth soon followed in her sister's footsteps and was escorted to the dance floor by a young man – Richard Burke.

Somehow on watching all of this William found himself a bit agitated and Caroline and her 'friends' were not making it any easier.

"Oh Will, you must dance with all of us. Of course first, you should dance with our hostess," said Emily – one of Caroline's friends was saying while Caroline was beaming beside William.

"I thank you for your offer Emily but right now I am not really inclined to dancing," with this he walked away.

* * *

"Hello Lizzy, how are you enjoying this evening?" asked William.

"Very much, Thank you," replied a confused Elizabeth, "What about you?" She did not really understand why Will was being civil to her.

"It's a great evening," said William. At that time a waiter with a tray full of champagne glasses came towards them. William took two glasses and held one to Elizabeth.

"Thank You," Elizabeth said without taking the glass, "But, I don't drink,"

"Oh okay!" and he kept the glass back on the tray and then he whispered to the waiter, "Can I get a glass of Coke?"

After the waiter went, "Thank you but that wasn't really necessary," said Lizzy. He did not reply.

The silence was broken when that glass of Coke arrived. "So, you are a vegetarian who doesn't drink. That's good," William commented.

"How did you know I was a vegetarian?" Lizzy asked curiously.

"Well, you just ate salads at Mr Lucas's and I don't think I have seen you try any meat here."

"Well you certainly are a good observer," replied Lizzy, much too confused, "I just don't support the idea of killing animals,"

"Very well!" said William "Would you care to dance?"

"I ...well …um…okay," stammered Elizabeth. William led her to the dance floor.

Lizzy had to admit that Will was a pretty good dancer. But she still could not understand his behaviour – one night he is rude and the other all politeness.

"This party has turned out very nice," commented Lizzy. No reply. She let it go – this was better than polite William.

Before the dance almost ended looking towards Caroline and her 'friends', Lizzy said, "Why are those ladies staring at us?" He looked to wherever she was pointing but made no reply again.

_Very well_, _it saves me the trouble,_ thought Lizzy.

"Thank you, Elizabeth," finally William said something.

Seeing William not respond to Elizabeth, Caroline was smiling triumphantly. _Will was just being polite to her. That's all_, she thought.

* * *

At precisely eleven o'clock Jane and Elizabeth left for their home. Charles insisted them on staying for a little while longer. But Lizzy and Jane were adamant – they wanted to get to their apartment at a reasonable hour. And secretly Lizzy did not want to be in William's company anymore, who strangely found himself beside her for a rather long period of time.

**Happy Reading!**


	5. Mr Darcy

**Disclaimer: However much I wish otherwise, the characters belong to Miss Jane Austen.**

It was precisely at seven o'clock when Elizabeth Mary Bennet found herself wide awake and staring at the white ceiling. It was her first day at her new office and she was extremely excited. She got up and went outside her room to find Jane already up and making coffee.

"Can you pour me a cup too, Jane?"

"Yeah sure," replied Jane, "You excited?"

"Very,"

"Decided what to wear?"

"Oh Shucks! That's what I forgot," exclaimed Lizzy, "You've got to help me,"

"You know I would,"

"Yup, I know that. My sweet angelic sister will always help me," Lizzy said giving Jane a big hug.

* * *

Elizabeth finally settled on a skirt suit and took a taxi to reach Pemberley Hotel's main office. It was a happily situated gorgeous building complete with a large Pemberley logo in front of it. Elizabeth's excitement went up ten folds. She went in and was again awed by the sight in front of her – it was everything an employee could dream for – and she was going to work here!

* * *

"Excuse me, I am Elizabeth Bennet. I have to start today," Lizzy told the receptionist.

"One moment ma'am," the receptionist looked at her computer screen and said, "You have to meet Mr Darcy. He's on the twelfth floor. He's not here yet but you can wait outside and his assistant will guide you,"

"Thank you," replied Elizabeth and headed towards the elevator and pressed the necessary button.

She entered the floor and saw a young girl sitting outside a more secluded office.

"Hello, I am Elizabeth Bennet and I am looking for Mr Darcy. I am supposed to start today," Lizzy began.

"Yes, Miss Bennet we've been expecting you today. Mr Darcy will be here in a few minutes," said the young girl whom Elizabeth assumed to be the assistant, "Please have a seat, Miss Bennet,"

"Thank you,"

After a few minutes of fidgeting with a useless magazine, the door of the office finally opened to reveal one person Elizabeth did not want to see – William. He was talking on the phone and did not notice Lizzy.

The young girl at the desk greeted the man, "Good morning, Mr Darcy,"

Without getting off the phone he nodded and replied, "Good morning Emma,"

The magazine from Elizabeth's hands dropped and made a noise. She attempted to clumsily pick it up while Darcy hung up his phone.

_I'll call you back, Chris._

He could not believe his luck; the object of his thoughts from last night – Lizzy _naturally- _was standing right in front of him.

"Lizzy," he said taking long strides towards her.

"Hello, William," she replied apprehensively.

They stayed in awkward silence for a few moments and before the situation could get any more awkward, Emma said, "Miss Bennet is our new head for the suite designing team,"

"Thank you Emma," Darcy said without taking his eyes off Lizzy, "So, you're Elizabeth Bennet?"

"Yes and well… you're Mr Darcy,"

"Yes," his reply was hardly audible.

Awkward silence again. Darcy motioned for her to move into his office. She nodded and followed him. No one was speaking, he gestured for her to take a seat before settling in his own chair across the table.

"Well," Darcy began, "Welcome to… this office…," he really couldn't think of anything to say. Usually, he had this whole speech about settling in and working hard prepared. But for some reason he could not speak in her presence.

"Thank you," Lizzy said nervously. He was not the only one having a hard time.

"You'll be working on our new project – a resort in Birmingham. Emma will give you the details and introduce you to the team," he said.

"Well… okay…," said Lizzy, "Thank you, Mr Darcy," She stood up and turned to leave and for the gentleman he is, Darcy got up and held the door for her and said, "Good luck, Miss Bennet," To this she nodded and he disappeared into his office.

Emma gave Elizabeth her briefing package and told her about the project. "It's for our new resort in Birmingham. You're team will design four different kind of rooms. The dimensions of which are in this packet, as is the architectural design of the resort. I will introduce you to the team once we get to your office. Have you got any questions yet?"

Frankly, she had many but Emma was probably not the one who could _or would_ answer them. So she nodded a negative and they headed for the elevator.

* * *

Elizabeth's office was on the seventh floor. She had a chamber, but was assured that most of her time will be spent outside – with her team.

Emma introduced Elizabeth to them. Her team consisted of four people – John, Kevin, Alia and Alana. Kevin and Alana were slightly older than Elizabeth at thirty and twenty – eight respectively. While John was almost her age while Alia was one year younger. Everybody seemed great and hard working, which she hoped was the actual case.

"So I'll leave you to get to know these guys better. If you need anything; you can ask Greta," she said pointing towards an elderly woman, "she manages this floor,"

"Okay," said Lizzy, "thank you so much for helping me,"

"Sure, no problem and Good Luck, Miss Bennet,"

"Please call me Elizabeth,"

"Okay," Emma replied before going.

She went back to her team and conversed with them for a little bit before heading over to her office. The real work would begin from the day after and presently her mind was sufficiently engaged somewhere else.

_William is Mr Fitzwilliam Darcy. Of course, how many Fitzwilliams are there? I should have figured it out… Out of all people he had to be my boss… Such luck I have; _was all Elizabeth could think of.

* * *

At exactly five o'clock Elizabeth headed home. She had to tell Jane about her new boss.

Fifteen minutes later she unlocked her apartment only to not find Jane in the house. She called her but Jane did not pick up. So she texted instead, 'When_ will you return home?' _Thankfully this time she did get a reply. '_On my way… reaching in ten minutes…'_

'_Okay'_ she replied.

* * *

It had been twenty five minutes but Jane still hadn't returned. So, at the sound of a door bell Lizzy sprang and got to the door as fast as possible.

"You're awfully late," said Lizzy opening the door to reveal Jane, Charles and William.

"I'm so sorry. I ran into Charles while looking for a taxi and he offered to drop off but he had to pick William. So I got delayed," Jane said in her defence.

"That's quite okay. Now come on in," said Lizzy.

"We probably should be going," said Charles, "got a meeting. It was nice seeing you Jane, Lizzy,"

"You too," said the sisters in unison addressing both William and Charles.

"I hope you had a good day at work, Lizzy," William spoke surprising everybody.

"Oh yes, I am looking forward to the project and the team is really nice,"

"Glad you liked it…Well, we better take off,"

As soon as Charles and William were out of earshot Jane asked, "What was that about?"

"Well…he is Mr Darcy…you know the owner of Pemberley, I told you about," replied Lizzy.

"Oh," said Jane, "On the positive side – You knew him before, that's good, I suppose,"

"Believe me Jane, that's a sure shot negative! But the day wasn't that bad. The team is really nice and we have this whole designing project and I'm really excited," she trailed off. Jane silently smiled at her sister and took out a small pack of Dairy Milk from her purse and gave it to Lizzy.

"I was hoping you'd have a good day. I decided to make it better," Jane said.

"Oh Jane, thank you so much," Lizzy said and added, "But I'm not sharing,"

"That's what I guessed," and she put her hand in her purse again, "I got one for myself,"

Both the sisters ate their chocolates and got engaged in their usual chattering.

**A/N: Happy Reading!**


	6. Contemplating Jane!

******Disclaimer : However much I wish otherwise, the characters belong to Miss Jane Austen **

The next couple of days went smoothly albeit Emma was proven to be a gossip. Everybody in the cafeteria knew about the awkward encounter between Elizabeth and Darcy, witnessed only by Emma. It was presumed that they were former lovers and therefore on more than first name basis i.e., Lizzy and William respectively.

"I am telling you, Jane, they all stare at me like I'm some criminal," Lizzy was saying to her sister after her third day at office, "And worse of it all is that they think Darcy and I are some kind of former lovers,"

"For one to dislike him so much, you talk an awful lot about him Lizzy," said Jane, "Besides it's just an office gossip. Give it a week – it will die,"

"That's easy for you to say," Lizzy replied making a weird expression.

"Come on! I know how these things work. You should come to my school, dealing with gossips like these is normal,"

"I am taking your word for it. In a week if things don't progress, I am talking to Darcy,"

"Like you would," said Jane sheepishly.

Lizzy just scowled.

"Anyways, Charles asked me out,"

"Like…On a real date?"

"Yes," said Jane enthusiastically.

"Oh, thank god! He came around. I'm tired of listening you whine about him," Jane just threw a pillow at her.

"That was uncalled for," said Lizzy before engaging in a pillow fight with her sweet sister. After seeing that all the pillows were out of Lizzy's reach and the only 'weapon' left was in Jane's hand and aimed right at her, she spoke again, "Okay, okay. Where are you guys going?"

"To watch a movie and then dinner, tomorrow,"

And thus began the enthusiastic discussion about the dresses, make-up and well you know – what.

* * *

The start of first weekend since Elizabeth's new job went reasonably well. On Saturday, her sister had gone on a date (finally) and so she had the whole apartment to herself. She decided to have Charlotte come over, not that Jane would have minded.

"So, how's it going?" Charlotte asked.

"Pretty well, I think," replied Lizzy, "But, I have to tell you something – Do you remember that William from your birthday?"

"The hot guy that insulted you? Yes, what about him?" Charlotte asked.

"He's my boss, Fitzwilliam Darcy," Lizzy said too quickly for her taste.

"Oh," was all Charlotte managed before bursting into a fit of laughter.

"That's harsh," Lizzy murmured.

"Sorry girl, the temptation is just too much,"

_Lizzy played that night in her mind, the only thing which stood out was -She is tolerable but not handsome enough to tempt me to get to the floor. Those words were not suppose to mean anything to me. What is wrong with me? Get a grip, girl!_

"Well, well, I think I have given you ample time to laugh it off. What do you want to do? Watch a movie?"

"Sure," said Charlotte.

"I was thinking some 007. What do you say?" Lizzy said with her best 'please' face.

"Gosh, how many times are you going to watch those movies? I agree they're nice but… please… How about the new Sherlock Holmes movie? I haven't seen it?"

"Charlotte Lucas, you haven't seen Sherlock Holmes. What is wrong with you?" exclaimed Lizzy. Charlotte tried to defend herself but Lizzy cut in first, "No need to explain. We're going to the movie store now,"

And so they went.

After 'The end?'* and Chinese take – out and long discussions about Charlotte's entry into the world of Law, Charlotte bid Lizzy adieu and headed home. Lizzy could not really resist the temptation of the whole James Bond series sitting in her DVD case, collecting dust and decided to watch – Goldeneye and spend the Saturday night in the best possible way.

0o0o0o0

* * *

At night Jane had come home late – not that late, but Lizzy fast asleep on the couch - late. She gently nudged Lizzy and directed her towards her room. After making sure Lizzy was alright, she went into her own bedroom to contemplate the events of the day. She had a really good first date with Charles, the movie which they saw was good and the dinner they ate was great, but Charles' company was what stole the day's show for her. He was easy going and very agreeable. Jane could be herself with him and easily talk about everything and nothing. So all in all she was pleased with the way the day had gone by.

Jane was a high school English teacher who loved her job. The teenagers tried to take advantage of her sweet nature but as a teacher she always knew when to be strict and when to loosen up. The fact that as a teacher she can influence so many lives – she had learnt to keep her guard on and after Robert, her ex, – Charles Bingley was only one who had allowed her guard to slip, ever so slightly. And she only hoped that it does not end as badly as before, in fact she hoped it never ends.

* * *

_* The ending of the film- Sherlock Holmes: A game of Shadows. 'The end?'_

* * *

**A/N : ****Reviews are welcome and greatly appreciated.**

**Happy Reading!**


	7. Jane is Not Felling Good

**Disclaimer: However much I wish otherwise, the characters belong to Miss Jane Austen.**

The next couple of days at the office went well. Elizabeth's team was able to design a theme for the rooms two days before the expected date. The head of the interior design department – Mr Andrew Yardley was pleased by their efforts and gave them the necessary go – ahead. The theme included very fine work of rosary for the bedside wall contrasting with rich cream colour on the other walls. The beds, furniture and lights were advised to so as to compliment the room.

Elizabeth was walking towards a newsstand near her office, as was her daily routine- She would stop by to read the major headlines while sipping her coffee. However, on this particular day something entirely different caught her attention. On the top – shelf of the stand she could see a magazine and a familiar face on the corner of the cover page. It was Fitzwilliam Darcy; he was among the Europe's Top 30 young Entrepreneurs. Curiosity got better off her and she purchased the aforementioned magazine.

* * *

As soon as Elizabeth entered the office, she was summoned by Mr Yardley, who wished to personally supervise the designing of the first room, the project being Elizabeth's first.

"As this is your first project in this capacity, I just want to help you," Mr Yardley was saying, "You should come to me if you have any problem, okay?"

"Yes, sir," Elizabeth replied and nodded her head.

"I've also sent the thematic designs to Mr Darcy. He should see them today and I'll let you know about his decision,"

"Okay," said Elizabeth before going to her own office.

She kept her bag and the magazine on her office table and went outside to her team to begin work for the day.

* * *

Instead of going to the cafeteria, Elizabeth decided to have lunch in her own office. She read the magazine she bought in the morning. The cover story started with a brief introduction on entrepreneurship and youth and gradually listed the top thirty young entrepreneurs, (According to the magazine) in no particular order. Then along with a small picture, a brief passage about each person was given. About Fitzwilliam Darcy, it was written:

_A hard- working and sincere young man, who despite the loss of his parents at an early age, rose to the challenges of the modern world and established himself and his company- Pemberley Inc. as one of the best in the market today. Since the inheritance of the company, Fitzwilliam Darcy has expanded Pemberley by venturing into more fields such as, hospitality and consultancy. _

_Though Darcy's conquests on the professional arena have been publicized, no light has been shed on his personal life. Some say he is gay and in a secret relationship. This rumour has broken million hearts of young ladies, who fancy themselves in love with him, and their match making mamas alike. Whereas some say, he is committed towards his work and not interested in any relationship. Nobody knows for sure but until he has given us enough proof – all we can do is guess!_

Elizabeth was surprised by the article. Two things stood out – First, his parents were both dead. _It must have been terrible on him_, she thought. And second, he did not have a girlfriend. She knew he was definitely not gay…_he cannot be gay_, she thought as if consoling her mind with this fact. She was not yet ready to acknowledge the fact – that somewhere between hating him (for one rude comment) she actually found him attractive and intriguing.

* * *

Elizabeth was happy with the progress in the project at hand. She was conversing with her team members and elaborating on everyone's part when a slight cough attracted her and the team's attention to the door. Darcy was standing there. He entered and opened his mouth a few times before finally speaking, "Miss Elizabeth, may I suggest something?"

"Certainly Mr Darcy," she replied a little confused, _he is the boss…why does he need my permission?_

"I saw the thematic design and spoke to Mr Yardley about it," He began, "I take it he has not seen you within the hour,"

She nodded negatively.

"Well, I am very happy with the designs. Though there is a minor alteration, I suggested," he continued in a somewhat nervous tone, "Instead of the traditional red shade of rose; can we use burgundy? It will go more with the cream,"

After few moments she said, "We can work on it. You'll get the revised designs by tomorrow… after lunch…is that okay?"

"Perfect,"

Awkward silence was about to takeover but before it could force itself on these two - Darcy began "Can I speak to you for a moment? Outside?"

She nodded and followed him.

Awkward silence was looming over them again. Darcy narrowed his eyes and looked at Elizabeth before starting, "Didn't Charles call you?"

"What?" she was surprised and recovering added, "I haven't checked my messages recently,"

"Oh," was all Darcy could manage. But he was determined not to be tongue-tied again. "Well, as you may know Jane and Charles met for lunch today,"

She nodded.

"Jane was not feeling well and had a head ache…They were near Bingley's house and went there…She was slightly dehydrated,"

Elizabeth cut in, "Is she fine? Where is she now?"

"She's at Bingley's and she is fine. Charles said you should go there directly after work," said Darcy, "I am also going there… and offered to drive you…"

"Oh," it was Elizabeth's turn to be zipped, "Give me a few minutes,"

"Okay,"

"What time is it?"

Glancing at his Rolex Darcy replied, "4:50,"

"Give me five minutes,"

"Sure…I'll wait…" before it could get any more awkward Elizabeth cut in, "Why don't you wait in my office," pointing towards a door she said. He nodded and followed her finger.

She returned to the room, packed her things up and after giving final comments to her team members went to her office.

* * *

Elizabeth found Darcy reading the magazine. (Remember, the one she bought in the morning?) He was reading about himself and muttering something. On seeing Elizabeth enter, he said, "They made me gay. I mean what is wrong with a single guy? Right?"

Elizabeth nodded, not so sure what to do and after a few moments added, "I am sorry about your parents,"

"Don't be, it was a long time ago. I've learnt to live with it," he continued, after placing the magazine back to its place, "Let's go,"

"Okay," she said and followed him out.

Darcy had a black Bentley waiting for him outside. The chauffeur got out and addressed Darcy, "Good evening sir,"

"Good evening, Mr Garner. I'll take the car myself. You're free for the day," Mr Darcy replied.

"Thank you, sir," said Mr Garner handing over the car keys to Darcy.

* * *

Darcy held the door open for Elizabeth and she mumbled a 'thank you'. Before entering the car himself, Fitzwilliam called Charles and told him that they were coming.

"It's a very nice car," Elizabeth began after a few minutes.

"Thank you. It was Georgie's choice,"

"Georgie?" she said in a questioning tone.

"My younger sister, Georgiana"

"The one you dropped off before coming to Charles' party?"

He was surprised that she still remembered that. "Yes, the very one,"

"Oh,"

After that they drove in complete silence.

**A/N: I just love awkward Darcy. Happy Reading!**


	8. Cricket, Really?

**Disclaimer : However much I wish otherwise, the characters belong to Miss Jane Austen.**

Jane was feeling a lot better when Fitzwilliam and Elizabeth arrived. She was currently in one of the many guest rooms in the Bingley Mansion, as Elizabeth liked to call it. Charles was sitting next to Jane when they reached. He was helping her with food. _They made an adorable couple_, Lizzy thought.

Darcy began first, "Hello Jane, how are you feeling now?"

"A lot better, thanks. And thanks for getting Elizabeth here,"

He just shook his head slightly to indicate that it was nothing. Then Lizzy made her inquiries. After a few moments of silence, Charles and Darcy excused themselves to the drawing room, giving the sisters some alone time.

"What happened?" Elizabeth asked Jane as soon as the boys were out of earshot.

"Less than adequate intake of water and the cold weather pitched in," Jane replied.

"Did you drink water when you got up?"

"Uh…no…I don't recall," answered Jane.

"What did I tell you? You know that you're constitution is not the strongest," said an angry Lizzy, "Whether you are up for it or not – You. Have. To. Drink. Water. When. You. Get. Up. Got it?"

"Yes ma'am,"

"Good, now I am going downstairs,"

"Wait, I'll also come. I haven't been out of this room for at least four hours now,"

"Glad to know Charles is keeping good care of my sister," Lizzy supplied. Jane blushed.

"How was the lunch? You know before you got the head ache,"

"Oh, it was great. He is…what's the word…hmm…chivalrous and yet refreshing," Jane said, "And we have a lot in common. We talked about books, music, movies, work and family. His parents died in an accident when he was twenty years old and then he got this huge responsibility of Netherfield Publications,"

"He's had a tough life," Lizzy said and to lighten up the mood added, "He seems a nice man. I think he will be good for you Jane. You're allowed to date him,"

"Thank You, Lizzy," Jane added sarcastically with a slight bow.

* * *

Jane and Elizabeth reached the drawing room, which surprisingly was a little hard to find. As soon as Charles saw them approaching, he stood up and greeted them. Darcy also turned away from the television and acknowledged their presence with a rare smile.

"What are you guys watching?" Elizabeth asked.

Without bothering to turn again, Darcy replied, "Highlights of the World Cup 2011, England vs. India. Nothing else worth watching is coming,"

"The one which ended in a draw?" Elizabeth asked curiously.

Now surprised, he turned and asked, "Yes… I did not peg you for the kind of girl who watched cricket,"

"Really, what kind of girl you had pegged me for?" Lizzy asked irritated. _Why is he so opinionated about everything, _she thought.

"I did not mean to offend you. I'm just saying not a lot of ladies are interested in cricket,"

"I enjoy it sometimes. I saw the whole world cup with dad," replied Lizzy after a few moments of silence, "That match was simply great. I mean, how many times do you get to see Sachin and Strauss score a century in the same game and remain undefeated,"

Jane added, "Dad was hooked to the TV those last few overs,"

"Yeah, the match was interesting till the very end," supplied Darcy and thus ending the conversation on the topic.

They chatted briefly about nothing in particular and enjoyed the highlights of the aforementioned match. As soon as the match ended, as if on cue, Caroline entered the drawing room. She first greeted Jane and asked her about how she was feeling now and then Darcy got a painful lingering hug from her. It was evident from his face, that the hug was not welcome in the least. Even Elizabeth felt for the poor soul. Caroline didn't even bother to acknowledge Lizzy's presence. But she was fine with it and did not dwell upon the thought.

* * *

After a coffee session, Darcy got up from the sofa and said, "I got to go now. It was nice seeing all of you,"

"What man, why are you leaving so early?" Charles said.

"Yes, Will at least have dinner with us," Caroline chipped in.

"I have to work, now that you guys have me for the weekend,"

"Oh good! You're coming," said Charles.

"You didn't exactly leave me a choice,"

"Well what can I say, Plan Georgie worked," replied Charles cheekily, "When is she leaving for Cambridge?"

"Monday morning. She said and I quote, _'You cannot spend a work-less weekend with your sister? Why did I even bother to come home for Christmas?'"_

"She's right you know,"

"I know but with this merger, I've been busy of late. But thank you really; I would've exhausted myself beyond recovery," Darcy said genuinely thankful.

"Didn't they teach manners to you in school, Darcy? You do not say thank you to friends," said Bingley lightening the mood. That was the theme of the day – some awkward pauses would occur and either Charles or Elizabeth would say something funny to bring things back to normal, well as normal as they can be.

After Darcy was gone, the Bennets also decided to head home but were stopped by Charles. He wanted to invite them for the weekend getaway to his country house about fifty miles of London.

"We don't want to intrude on your weekend, Charles," Jane said.

"Nonsense, how can you call it intruding?" Charles said, "I would not take no for an answer. I will pick you guys up at six-thirty tomorrow,"

"I don't think we can make it. We have to go to dinner to Mom's on Sunday," Lizzy replied. Their attendance for the Bennet dinner was not mandatory, especially when a rich man, so obviously smitten by Jane, was concerned. Lizzy really did not want to be in Darcy's company more than necessary. _Isn't office enough?_ She thought.

"We will be back by Sunday afternoon. Now you have no excuses. Six-thirty tomorrow," Charles said, "And we'll drop you off there, if you wish,"

Lizzy and Jane looked at each other. Jane obviously wanted to go and Lizzy did not have the heart to deny anything to her angelic sister. _It cannot be that bad_, she thought, _I'll have Jane and Charles and lots of walking to make myself busy. _So they consented on one condition that after the trip, all of them would have dinner at the Bennet household. This was not the best of plans but their mother did want to meet Charles Bingley, the owner of Netherfield Publications (as she so constantly reminded Jane) and this seemed the best way for that to happen. To this Charles readily agreed.

* * *

**A/N : Being the Indian I am, a cricket reference was inevitable. The match was an actual match by the way and ended in a draw. **

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing this.**

**Leave a review and let me know your thoughts.**


	9. The Journey

**Disclaimer: However much I wish otherwise, the characters belong to Miss Jane Austen.**

Friday always presented a relaxing atmosphere around the office. Nobody, not even Mr Darcy, stayed beyond 4:30. The revised designs, with burgundy instead of traditional rose red, were sent to Mr Darcy and ultimately met with his approval.

"He is happy with your work Elizabeth," said Mr Yardley, the head of the design department, "Keep it up,"

"Thank You, Mr Yardley,"

And then she headed towards her team to relay the good news.

"Our designs have been finally approved by Mr Darcy," Elizabeth said aloud for her whole team to hear.

"Oh thank goodness! Can we start working on the rooms then?" asked John.

"Yes," replied Elizabeth.

"It's already fifteen minutes past four. We'll start on Monday," said Alia.

"Sounds fine," Elizabeth gave her approval.

"So what are your plans for the weekend, guys?" asked Kevin to no one in particular.

"My family is flying in tonight. I'm going to have a blast of a weekend. It's been almost a year since I saw them last time," answered Alia enthusiastically.

"Have a happy reunion," Everybody offered their best wishes to her. She thanked them kindly.

"What about you, Kev?" asked Alia.

"Oh! Just hanging out with a few of my buddies,"

"Sounds fun," commented Alia.

"What about you guys?" asked Kevin pointing towards Alana, John and Elizabeth.

"You know the usual - Meeting my parents and silly younger sisters," provided Alana.

"I will catch up with EPL, I guess," said John.

All eyes now turned to Elizabeth. And she finally spoke, "Well, I am going away for the weekend with my sister and her boyfriend,"

"Oh! Acting as the third wheel? Huh?" asked Alana

"No not exactly. There'll be a lot of people. His sister and well two or three more people," she said and in her mind thought,_ and you know our boss who hates me and I hate him._

"Good! Enjoy then!"

"Thanks,"

* * *

Elizabeth reached home to find Jane already packed up and ready to leave. Being the darling, Jane is, she had also packed all of Elizabeth's stuff. This was Jane's last week of holidays and she was spending it in the most splendid way possible. She had come to care for Charles very deeply. She could almost say that she was in love with him.

"Oh Lizzy, I am so excited," Jane exclaimed.

Elizabeth never let a good moment to tease to pass. So she said, "To be in Charles' company? Or see another one of his huge mansions?"

Jane caught the drift, "Both, I imagine! Now stop pulling my leg and see if all the things you need are packed,"

"I have full faith in you," mocked Elizabeth and went on to do exactly what was asked of her.

After fifteen minutes, a door bell rung and Charles and Caroline were showed into the Bennet sisters' apartment.

Charles greeted Jane and Lizzy with a quick peck to the cheek in his usual jovial manner. Caroline barely acknowledged them. Lizzy could not understand Caroline's problem. Why the heck did she behave like that? What had she ever done to deserve this kind of cold greeting? (If you could call it a greeting!)

Charles and Jane soon sat beside each other on the sofa and began chatting.

"Darcy will be here shortly and then we'll move," Charles said, addressing both Jane and Elizabeth.

"Sounds good," replied Jane.

"You probably haven't met his sister or cousin, have you?" he asked Lizzy.

"Nope…I don't think so,"

"Well they're also coming- Very nice people. I'm sure you'll find them very agreeable," Charles said to both of them.

"Sure," Lizzy replied and Jane slightly nodded her head.

A phone call to Charles signalled the arrival of the Darcy party and all of them went downstairs after locking the apartment safe.

* * *

Darcy was standing outside his Bentley with a man (presumably his cousin) and a young woman. (Presumably his sister) He greeted everyone and introduced the two new people to the Bennet sisters. "Miss Jane Bennet and Miss Elizabeth Bennet, this is my sister- Georgiana Darcy and this is my cousin- Chris Fitzwilliam,"

They shook hands and expressed pleasure at their acquaintance.

By this time Charles had gotten his BMW to the driveway and waited for everybody to take their places. Jane called shot gun and sat beside Charles. Caroline went into the back seat. Now Elizabeth had two choices – One, to sit next to Caroline and listen to her whine about how bad is rock music. Or second, to sit in her boss's car and with two strangers. Had it been anyone except Caroline, it would have been a no- brainer. But sitting with Caroline- _No, thank you_, she thought.

So the seating arrangements finally reached a consensus. In car Number 1 (Charles' BMW) was Charles, Jane and Caroline and in Car Number 2 (Will's Bentley) was Fitzwilliam, Chris, Georgiana and Elizabeth.

* * *

During the first five minutes of the ride, Georgiana, Chris and Elizabeth had already finished discussing weather, sports and current affairs. Fitzwilliam, who was driving, did not contribute to anything to the conversation. Now they were on to the topic of occupation.

"I am a fresher at Cambridge," said Georgiana.

"What are you studying?" asked Elizabeth.

"Economics Honours," answered Georgiana.

"Oh that's nice,"

"Thank you,"

"What about you Chris?" Elizabeth asked.

"I work security for Pemberley,"

"What he means is that he supervises the security of the whole Pemberley chain," explained Georgiana.

"Potato, Potatoh," said Chris, "What about you Elizabeth?"

"Oh I work for…Pemberley Hotels as well…"

Here Darcy finally spoke, "Miss Bennet works in the Interior Design Department,"

"Thank you, Mr Darcy," said Elizabeth.

"No wonder you haven't spoken two words yet, William," Chris teased his cousin and then turning to Elizabeth, "So, did you meet William in the office?"

"No, we met a few days before- at my best friend's birthday party. He was there with Charles," replied Lizzy.

"I just wanted to know how he greets his nervous employees on their first day. But this is even better, how did he behave at the party?" Chris said.

"Oh! this I would love to hear," Georgiana chipped in.

Elizabeth was speechless. What was she supposed to do? Say how rude her boss was to his family and in front of him?

But nothing but truth came out of that feisty mouth of hers.

"Well, let's see – It was a very informal sort of party, and Mr Darcy did not talk to anyone, let alone dance,"

"Whoa! Will, Way to make a first impression," said Chris, "Please continue Elizabeth,"

"Now, I don't think I was supposed to hear this, but Mr Darcy did say something about me not being handsome enough to tempt him to dance,"

"He did not," exclaimed Georgiana. A blush crept on Fitzwilliam's feature.

"You're correct Miss Bennet. You were not supposed to hear that," said Darcy, "I was in a very foul mood that day. I did not mean it and I'm sorry you had to hear it,"

"That's quite okay, Mr Darcy," said Elizabeth.

"You guys are not in the office. Can you please drop the Mister, Elizabeth?"

"Please call me Fitzwilliam or William," supplied Darcy.

"Okay, Fitzwilliam it is then," replied Lizzy.

After a few seconds of silence, Chris spoke, "You're not going to allow him to call you Elizabeth? William here, will not do anything without permission,"

"Oh I don't think he needs permission. But I quite like myself addressed as Miss Bennet," Lizzy replied and seeing Georgiana's and Chris's amused looks, she added cheekily, "What? Nobody calls me that. It feels good – Miss Bennet,"

A few shake of the heads and chuckles from both Georgiana and Chris followed.

While looking deep in Lizzy's eyes through the rear – view mirror, Fitzwilliam said, "Well, then I shall continue to address you as Miss Bennet,"

After then conversation flowed easily.

* * *

They reached Bingley's country house in West Berkshire, a few minutes after Bingley. It was, to put it in one word, magnificent. It was a white-stoned building. The architecture seemed of Victorian period. The paths outside the house were lush and green.

"Welcome guys," he said as he took the bags from Georgiana's and Elizabeth's hands, "I hope you had a pleasant journey,"

"Yes, very pleasant. Thank You," said Elizabeth and Georgiana in unison and went on towards the house leaving Bingley to follow with Chris and William.

The inside of the house was just as amazing as the outside. The interiors were neither gaudy nor plain. White and cream dominated most of the common rooms colour combinations. All in all, the house could be described as elegant.

**A/N : ****Liked it? Hated it? Have a suggestion? Tell me all about it in a review.**

**Happy Reading!**


	10. Childhood Sleepovers

**Disclaimer: However much I wish otherwise, the characters belong to Miss Jane Austen.**

Chris and Georgiana, unlike their cousin and brother respectively, were lively conversationalists. They presented Elizabeth with pleasant company during dinner while Jane and Charles had eyes only for each other. And for some unknown reason William was staring at Elizabeth while Caroline was trying to gather his attention. This did not go unnoticed by Chris. Knowing his cousin so well he thought, _Fitzwilliam must really like her_ _but he's doing a pretty awful job showing it._

The dinner consisted of Cream of Tomato soup and vegetarian lasagne. The consideration on Charles part earned him an appreciation from Jane. "You and Elizabeth are vegetarian," said Charles dutifully, "Besides Darcy, for some unknown reason, is not eating meat for the past couple of weeks," Fitzwilliam nearly choked on his lasagne at the mention of his name and tried to hide it by coughing. Chris laughed thinking that he probably knew the reason for his cousin's reaction.

"Well, I really appreciate the gesture," said Elizabeth.

"So what do you guys want to do after dinner?" asked Chris after a few moments

"Let's watch E! News," Caroline pitched in. **(A/n: I have no idea if E! News is broadcast-ed in England...I just searched for a celeb gossip show on Google)**

"How about some board game? Paying our tributes to childhood sleepovers," suggested Charles.

"I am game," said Elizabeth and Jane, Georgiana and Chris also expressed their approval. Georgiana turned towards her brother and said, "What about you, brother?"

"Yes, of course," were the first words spoken by William during the whole dinner.

Caroline was quite put out for being ignored in such a _vital_ decision.

* * *

After dinner, Charles got a LOT of games to the drawing room. "So I have – Monopoly, Life, Cluedo, Snakes and Ladders, Ludo, Scrabble, and Uno and well you can see the rest. What do you want to play?" asked Charles to no one in particular.

"Wow, it's been a while since I played Snakes and Ladders," commented Chris hinting towards the said game.

"Let's start with Snakes and Ladders then," said Jane.

Caroline did not participate in any of the games but instead watch television. Everybody else picked their pawns. Elizabeth moved her hand towards the red pawn, so did William, unintentionally of course! "Oh sorry, you can take it Miss Bennet," said William.

"No, no please take it," said Elizabeth, "I'll take blue,"

"It's okay. Please take it. I insist," said William handing over the said pawn to her.

"Thank you," said Elizabeth after reluctantly taking it.

"Let's start," said Charles with the first roll. The game continued in a very animated manner. Some climbed the ladders; some slipped down the snake while some did both. Eventually Georgiana won. During the whole game, not once did William's gaze left Elizabeth. She kept adjusting her hair and looking back at Will hoping that at least now he will stop staring. But he didn't.

After that they played several rounds of UNO.

"What next?" asked Chris.

"I want to play Scrabble, if anybody is interested," said Elizabeth.

"I'll play," William said shocking everyone.

"I think that's enough for me for today. I want to turn in," said Georgiana.

"I think I will do the same," said Jane. "Me too," said Charles, "Come, I'll show you to your rooms,"

"Well I guess I'll retire for the night as well," said Chris with an evil look in the direction of Fitzwilliam before disappearing into the lobby. _There's no way I can misinterpret Willy-boy_, he thought and decided to give him a slight push.

"Do you want to play? Or…" asked William expectantly.

"I'll play if you want to,"

"Well then let's play," and so began the battle of words, quite literally.

* * *

"I believe we must have some conversation, Fitzwilliam," began Elizabeth.

"What topic do you suggest, Miss Bennet?" offered William after a full minute of silence.

"WOW! This is harder than I thought," said Elizabeth after a few moments.

"Books, perhaps,"

"Perhaps,"

"What genre do you like to read?" asked Fitzwilliam.

"I like to read everything from thrillers to comedies to classics. What about you?"

"Similar to you, I also like to read a bit of everything," William said, smiling for the first time that day.

"Do you have a favourite author?" asked Elizabeth, returning the smile.

"I'd have to say Shakespeare and Dickens,"

"Mine too!" exclaimed Elizabeth.

Awkward Silence.

"Well… what about… movies?" Fitzwilliam desperately attempted to save the day- _night_.

"Oh! I love good comedies, thrillers and romances. But most of all I love James Bond movies,"

Fitzwilliam smirked.

"What? You don't like them,"

"I like a few. But I think the rest are overrated,"

"I agree not all are equally… best," said Elizabeth. William laughed and Elizabeth continued, "But most of them are good and as a franchise- they are the best,"

"I will see all of them and come back to you on that one," said Darcy smiling.

"You haven't seen all of them?"

"No,"

"Well, then I suggest you do and I am sure you'll retract your earlier statement," said Elizabeth as matter-of-factly.

"As I said, I'll watch them and get back to you,"

Elizabeth just nodded smiling at Will's stubbornness. _It was quite matched by her own_, she thought.

* * *

"Wait, that's not even a word," cried Darcy.

"Sure it is," Elizabeth replied in Giovanni Capello style. (A character from Mind Your Language series)

Darcy quickly took out his phone and typed the word EUOI in the Oxford Dictionary Search Box.

"It is not in the Oxford Dictionary,"

"But it is there in the Colins Scrabble one," replied Elizabeth

"How can you possibly know that?"

"A friend of mine plays professionally. I picked up on some unusual-s,"

"Well, next time we specify a dictionary…That is if we play…" William completed apprehensively.

"Sure,"

They finished the game and Elizabeth won the game 250: 238.

Fitzwilliam congratulated her. Whatever he was or was not, he sure wasn't a sore loser.

"Are you hungry?" asked Fitzwilliam.

"Uh…no…thank you," answered Elizabeth.

"Okay…well then… Good Night,"

"Good Night," replied Elizabeth and walked towards her room.

Her thoughts about her boss were not quite clear. She could not understand his behaviour. One moment he is all insulting and the other all polite_._ He was handsome- of that she was sure. His comments – although made in a jest, had hurt her pride.

_Maybe... just maybe, he is not such a snob and just a little shy_, she thought as she dozed off to sleep.

* * *

Elizabeth was a morning person. She loved to rise up early and absorb the beauty of nature. She loved to take early morning strolls whenever time permitted. The day before she had taken directions for a nearby park from Charles and decided to venture for an early morning walk. She got ready and headed towards the kitchen for a glass of water.

Surprise! Surprise! Who else is a morning person?

Fitzwilliam Darcy, of course!

"You're up early," Darcy began.

"Good morning to you too," said Elizabeth.

"Are you going somewhere?" asked Darcy.

"Just for a little stroll," said Elizabeth while drinking her water, "I heard the walks here are very pleasant,"

"They are, especially the ones behind the house,"

"Good to know. Are you going somewhere?"

"Uh…I...am going for a stroll as well," he answered like he wanted to be as far away from her as possible. _No, definitely a snob_, Elizabeth thought.

"Oh," sighed Elizabeth, "Well, I guess I'll see you later then," as she walked away.

"Yeah,"

**Happy Reading!**


	11. Hey, I am Wickham!

**Disclaimer: However much I hate Wickham; he is one of Austen's creations along with all the characters I love. So yeah! They're not mine.**

Walking along the lush green path brought back happy memories from Elizabeth's childhood. She loved to be lost amidst the beauty of nature and experience the serenity of the morning mist, the chirruping of birds and the sheer joy of walking. She only had a single regret – she wasn't able to capture the scene before her - she had forgotten to pack the batteries of her camera. They were sitting pretty on the drawing room side table of her apartment. She had put them on charging but forgot to pack them. Thankfully her camera was compatible with AAA batteries which are easily available at any departmental store and she would be able to do so the day after.

She walked back to the house.

* * *

"Where the hell did you go, Eliza?" asked Caroline while looking at Elizabeth's _slightly_ crumpled outfit.

"Good Morning to you too, Caroline. As you can probably see, I went out for a walk," replied Elizabeth.

"I can see that," muttered Caroline.

Chris and Georgiana cut in, "Join us for breakfast,"

"Sure, just give me a minute," replied Elizabeth and hurried off to her room to freshen up.

"So what are we having?" asked Lizzy re-entering.

"I hear it's one of your favourites," Charles said joining the conversation, "Baked beans,"

"Your source is indeed correct, Mr Bingley. It is one of my favourites," said Lizzy.

"So, how was the walk? The scenery any good?" asked Charles.

"Oh, It was beautiful!" and she described the scenery with exquisite adjectives, "That reminds me Charles – where is the nearest departmental store?"

"It's about half a mile away to the left. Why?"

"I just need to buy some batteries,"

"You forgot them?" Jane spoke joining the conversation.

"Well…so much for trusting me…for the only one thing," laughed Elizabeth.

"Very funny," replied Jane.

"I'll show you," said Chris, "I have to go there anyways,"

"Thanks,"

It was quite like dinner the day before. Georgie, Chris and Lizzy chatting away, Charles and Jane having a quiet conversation, Caroline trying to get William's attention and William staring at Elizabeth.

* * *

"So, here's the store," said Chris while holding the door open for Elizabeth, "I have some work in the neighbouring building. I'll come in ten minutes. Wait up?"

"I can do that. Do you want anything?"

"Uh can't remember anything… So… no," said Chris.

"Okay," replied Elizabeth as she walked towards the counter.

"How can I help you Miss…?" asked a young man with a dazzling smile.

"Do all customers get such customized treatment? Or I am special?"

"Well, your beauty certainly helps the case," said the man, "But any friends of Chris are my friends. I am George Wickham,"

"Elizabeth," replied she while shaking his offered hand, "You friends with Chris?"

"Was, was friends with Chris and his cousin until they realized how much money they have,"

"I sense some resentment,"

"Well there is, but I don't want to burden you with it," said Wickham, "What are you looking for?"

"4 AAAs,"

"This way," said George as Elizabeth followed, "Here – 4 AAAs"

"Thanks George,"

"You're welcome,"

She went up to search for more products only to have George follow her. "So, how do you know Chris?"

"Mutual acquaintances," said Elizabeth not wanting to elaborate more.

"Does any of them happen to be Fitzwilliam Darcy?"

"As a matter of fact, yes," replied Elizabeth clearly annoyed by his behaviour.

"Oh! So Darcy has finally learnt to make friends,"

"I am not his friend," she knew she shouldn't continue this little talk. But with Darcy being brought up she couldn't control herself.

"Figures,"

"Why do you say that?"

"You see he and I were good actually best friends till college. I was his only friend and he cheated on me with my girlfriend,"

This piqued her interest, "What?"

"Shocking, isn't it? I loved her and was going to propose to her that night. Darcy knew of my plan. He must've gotten jealous," said Wickham

"I don't believe it,"

"It's okay. You don't have to believe me,"

"What, no! I meant I don't believe he could've gotten so low," said Elizabeth.

"I know," replied George.

And that's when Chris made his entry. Wickham's face got considerably pale.

"Fitzwilliam," he greeted coldly.

"Wickham," muttered Chris, "What are you doing here?"

"I work here. Will you throw me out of here too?"

"Back off, George! Darcy is also in town, if that gives you any comfort,"

Wickham's face grew paler.

"Let's go. Elizabeth," said Chris.

They walked in silence.

* * *

Chris looked here and there, as if to make sure somebody is not there and said, "Wickham is in town, William,"

The statement got a response from his cousin who was otherwise engaged in reading the newspaper. Darcy looked here and there too.

"Does Georgie know?" asked Darcy

"No, I don't think so,"

"Where'd you see him?"

"At Debenhams, he was talking to Elizabeth,"

"Did he do something to you?" Darcy asked Elizabeth hurriedly, who was standing beside Chris.

"No," replied Elizabeth

"Thank goodness," said Darcy, "He is not a good person Miss Bennet. You don't want him around you,"

"Yes Elizabeth. Stay away from him," Chris pitched in.

"Did he get your name?" asked Darcy

"Yes, he also got my number," said Elizabeth.

"What? I had no idea you were that kind of girl,"

"Thank you for assuming the worst of me Mr Darcy. I swiped my card is what I meant. He has my name and number and I'm not a 'that kind of girl' you know," replied Elizabeth angrily.

"Elizabeth, I did not mean that. I am sorry," apologized Darcy quickly.

"And you know what, I can look after myself," said Elizabeth before storming off to her room.

_Uh, I hate him. I hate him. I hate him_, thought Elizabeth. She knew that she probably should not believe a stranger. But when it came to Fitzwilliam Darcy, how could she not?

* * *

**A/N: **** REVIEW!**


	12. What should Lizzy believe?

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters nor any of the songs mentioned in the chapter.**

Elizabeth was on crossroads. On one hand, she had no reason to believe a stranger but on the other, she desperately wanted to. Upon reflection, however, she found out that there was no reason for her to believe Wickham. _I mean what sort of stranger just comes up to you and tells you his whole life history, thought Elizabeth_. She wanted to talk to somebody; anybody. It was as if god had heard her thoughts, because at that very moment there was a knock on her door.

"Who is it?" she asked

"It's me, Chris,"

"The door is open. Come in,"

He came in alone but there was another person hovering around the door frame. It was Fitzwilliam Darcy. But he did not come in and Chris shut the door to his face.

"I need you to believe me, Lizzy," he began, "Wickham is not a good guy,"

"Chris, I know you're looking out for me and I really appreciate it," she replied, "But you don't need to. I can trust my own judgement and believe me it's better than what you cousin seems to think,"

"It's about him, isn't it?" said Chris and on absence of a reply continued, "Lizzy, I am not joking. Wickham is dangerous. He has hurt people for whom William cares. It burns him to see that he can do so to yo… anybody,"

"It's not like I'm ever going to meet him," she replied, still not ready to admit.

"He saw me with you. He's going to come after you,"

"What do you mean?"

"Keep your guard on, Elizabeth. He's dangerous,"

"I will. You don't need to worry, Chris,"

"Thank you. Now, do you think you can talk to William right now?" asked Chris, "He really has to say something,"

"Okay, but it has to be brief,"

During the short course of their friendship, Chris and Elizabeth had forged a, somewhat, brother sister bond. In the absence of an elder brother to look up to, she found an ideal one in Chris. It was funny though, what two days of acquaintance could do to someone. But it was true – what's meant to be is meant to be.

Darcy walked in and started, "Miss Bennet, I am really sorry. I did not mean to say it,"

"I understand Mr Darcy. Though I cannot fully forgive you, I am willing to over look it for the time being,"

"Thank you,"

"It's okay, Mr Darcy,"

"Please Elizabeth... Call me Fitzwilliam," Darcy said tenaciously.

"I don't think I can,"

"Fair enough, but believe me Miss Bennet, Wickham is not a man to be trusted,"

"I've already talked to Chris about this. I can handle myself,"

"Just be careful,"

"I will be,"

Another knock interrupted their conversation. It was Jane.

"Am I interrupting some business meeting?" asked Jane.

"No you're not, Jane. Mr Darcy was just about to leave," replied Elizabeth.

Darcy murmured his greetings to Jane and was on his way.

"What's wrong?" Jane asked.

"A lot of things sis. I don't know what to think,"

"Shh… Start from the beginning," said Jane while embracing Lizzy in a comforting hug.

Lizzy narrated the whole incident- her conversation with Wickham, her talk with Darcy and Chris and of her recent conversation with Chris and Darcy.

"I think you should wait to hear Darcy's side of story before making some concrete assumptions," said Jane.

"I don't know Jane. Darcy cannot sink so much. But after what he said to me, I'm pretty angry. Is it wrong of me Jane?"

"It's not wrong Lizzy. His comments were uncalled for. But don't judge him on only that. He apologized to you Lizzy and that speaks volumes about his character. I am not justifying what he said. But maybe, just maybe, he's not the bad guy, Lizzy,"

"After Chris' confirmation about Darcy's estimation of Wickham's character, maybe you're right,"

"Reflect upon it. You don't have to make a decision right now,"

"I know. What will I do without you?"

"I am pretty sure you'll be doomed," said Jane trying to lighten the mood, "Now cheer up. We're going to see the Windsor Castle,"

"That reminds me. Where have you been all day?"

"I went shopping with Charles and Caroline,"

"You guys buy anything?"

"I didn't, but Caroline pretty much filled our quota,"

Both the sisters laughed.

"Charles and you are pretty serious..."

"I am so happy, Lizzy," replied Jane with a lot of enthusiasm, "I think this could go a long way,"

"And you deserve to be happy Jane. Charles seems like a really nice guy. You guys are suited to each other,"

The sisters continued to chat for a little while before getting ready for their outing.

* * *

Windsor Castle outing was agreeable to all present except Caroline, who was constantly complaining about sun burn, despite it being the month of January. It was a little awkward for two people of the said group, but nothing out of the common way. Elizabeth had decided to forget everything for the time being and enjoy her much needed vacation. Sadly or fortunately, only time will tell, an important part of her enjoyment was bickering with Fitzwilliam on some topic or the other. During their outing, they were more engrossed about winning the 'debate' rather than seeing what marvellous sights, their friends were pointing out to.

"How can you say that objectification of women doesn't exist?" Elizabeth was saying.

"I don't see it," replied Darcy.

"It's perfectly normal for a telemarketing advertisement to have a scantily clad woman standing beside a fully dressed man?"

"Maybe the product demands it,"

"I don't see how a tablet PC demands that,"

Darcy was silenced; silenced by Elizabeth's wit, silenced by Elizabeth's outlook about life.

"Okay, I agree there is objectification. But you cannot always blame men for it?"

"Why not?"

"Women expose themselves to objectification in many cases. Like the telemarketing woman, you were talking about. She could've said no,"

"She must have been pressurized,"

"Would you under any circumstance do such a thing?"

"No, I won't,"

"Your denial proves my point,"

"Guys, do you mind walking with us?" Charles shouted, "I am sure you've more points to discuss. But kindly do it, once I am out of the hearing range,"

Had Charles not interrupted, this 'debate' could have taken a decidedly new turn. But since Charles did, they did what they were told to do – Walk with the group and shut up!

* * *

At night all were sitting in the drawing room.

"Do you have your guitar here, Charles?" asked Georgiana.

"Yes, I'll get it," said Charles.

"Play _Let It Be_," demanded Chris.

"Okay," replied Georgiana and added, "Any more requests, Chris?"

"I'll think and tell you later,"

"I meant to be sarcastic,"

"Sarcasm was not an element present then. Would you agree with me Jane?"

"What? No. How thick-skinned Chris?" replied Jane. Everybody laughed.

"You get an actual request for taking my side," said Georgiana to Jane.

"Well, since Chris has reminded me of the song, play _Let It Be_,"

Chris smirked.

"It's one of her favourite songs," retorted Elizabeth to Chris.

"It is," Jane stated proudly.

Georgiana played_ Let It Be_ beautifully. In addition, she sang the song even more beautifully.

"Jane, Lizzy, do you guys play?" asked Chris.

"Lizzy plays a little whereas I lack the skills completely," Jane said.

"Then you must play for us, Lizzy," continued Georgiana.

"Georgie, Jane is not being modest. I play very little. And I'm not any good especially compared to you," said Lizzy.

"Come on, it's only us. You'll enjoy it,"

"Okay. But I'll choose the song," relented Elizabeth.

"Sure," replied Georgiana as she passed the guitar to Elizabeth.

Elizabeth ended up playing _Leaving On A Jet Plane_. It was really good. Not polished perhaps, but good nonetheless. Her voice was charming and melodious. Georgiana and Charles praised her. Fitzwilliam resorted to his old habit of looking a great deal in her direction.

"Your chance, bro," said Georgiana.

"I'm not playing,"

"Come on Will. Be a sport. Play something," added Charles.

"Yes, Will," said Chris.

"Will, you have such a gorgeous voice. Please. I want to hear it," Caroline began.

"Yes, Mr Darcy. Even I played," Elizabeth cut in not wanting to hear Caroline go on and on about the topic at hand.

This inducement was enough for Darcy. They were both locking eyes. Not yet ready to look away from each other's form.

"Here," Elizabeth passed the guitar to Fitzwilliam.

Fitzwilliam played _Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall_ and for the first time, Elizabeth sensed his human nature. His sheer passion towards singing and playing humbled her. She was staring at him dumbfounded, as if in a concert itself. After the performance, all she could do was flash her dazzling smile and clap along with others.

"That was marvellous, Will," began Caroline, "You play very well. I could not even see your hands going all over those frets…"

"Here she goes again," muttered Georgiana to Elizabeth and Chris.

"That was really amazing," said Jane.

"Thank you," replied Darcy shyly.

And just then Elizabeth realized_, maybe he's shy. Maybe he's not exactly what he seems._

"That was awesome, indeed," said Elizabeth.

Glitter appeared over Darcy's eyes. "Thank you," he said smiling.

* * *

**A/N: ****A reader/reviewer (MidnightReadingAddict) has been kind enough to provide links to some of the dresses mentioned in the story. So if you're interested, please go check my profile page for the said links. Thank you MidnightReadingAddict.**

**Happy Reading!**


	13. Official Work

**Disclaimer: However much I wish otherwise, the characters belong to Miss Jane Austen.**

Sunday dawned clear and bright on the current inhabitants of the Bingley manor in Berkshire. Everybody enjoyed their morning in their own way. Elizabeth, Jane and Georgiana went out for a walk whereas Charles finally took up the work for which he was here in the first place. Caroline engaged herself in an extensive make up session. Will and Chris headed out for 'Official Work of Pemberley'.

"You said you won't work, Will," exclaimed Caroline while applying some sort of weird cream on her face.

"It's important, Caroline," replied Darcy not even looking in her direction.

"It is. Will, let's go," said Chris hurriedly.

"We have to move at about three o'clock," said Charles, "Be here accordingly,"

"Okay," replied Darcy before taking off.

* * *

"Sorry for getting so late," said Chris as he walked inside the manor. It was already two thirty which meant they did not have time to do anything.

"Where were you guys?" asked Georgiana in her best 'I am angry' voice.

"Sorry Georgie. We had to meet with a client," replied Darcy.

"He dragged me with him," said Chris in his mock defence.

"Oh! You were just over eager to comply," joined Charles defending Darcy. Darcy smirked.

"Enough about us, you guys did anything interesting?" asked Chris.

"We saw the sunrise over Kennet Valley," said Georgiana.

"It was a beautiful sight," said Jane.

"Show them the picture, Lizzy," said Georgiana.

Lizzy complied.

"This is beautiful," said Will first, "Who took the photo?"

"I did," said Elizabeth.

"I have seen the sunrise over the valley. But this is probably more beautiful than the actual sight. Great picture," said Darcy in one breath while locking eyes with Elizabeth.

"Thank you," she replied shyly. Chris coughed and the camera was passed on to him for him to see.

* * *

At three-thirty they were finally on the road. Elizabeth had called her dad that they will be arriving a tad bit late. She also confirmed that ALL the guests will be coming since no one cancelled as she half expected Darcy to do.

"Okay," replied Mr Bennet, "Your mom wants to speak to you,"

"Is Jane sitting with Charles?" asked her mother without even saying hi!

"Yes mom," she replied in a hushed voice.

"Good, they will sit together here also. I have seated your boss beside you. Get to know him better, okay?"

"Cool," she whispered. She did not agree with the scheming nature of her mother. But long ago she had learned that nothing good could come out of arguing with her. So she let it go. Besides, there are two sides to a sandwich. Hopefully the other one would do most of the talking.

* * *

The Bennet household was not a very big one. It was one of those simple suburban homes with a little garden around it. Elizabeth had done the interiors and white, as was characteristic of her work, was the dominant colour.

Jane took the lead to introduce everyone to her parents.

"It's nice to meet all of you," said Mrs Bennet.

"It's a pleasure to meet you too, Mrs Bennet," said Charles in his usual cheerful manner.

"Come on in now," said Thomas Bennet.

As expected Jane was seated in a corner with Charles on her right side and Mrs Bennet on her left. William was sitting to the right of Elizabeth and to his right, as the head of the family, was Mr Bennet. To Elizabeth's left was Georgiana and to her left was Chris. Sitting beside Fanny Bennet was Caroline. **(Confused? Visit my profile for a link to the picture of dining table.)**

"So, Mr Darcy," began Mr Bennet, "How was your little vacation?"

"It was refreshing, sir," replied Darcy slowly.

"My daughter's boss is calling me sir. It's a great day indeed," said Thomas, "Please call me Thomas,"

Darcy nodded and added, "Call me Fitzwilliam,"

"Elizabeth was telling me- Georgiana goes to Cambridge,"

"Yes, she does,"

"Any chance she attends Fitzwilliam College?"

Darcy coughed as Elizabeth offered him water.

"That never crossed my mind," joined Elizabeth cheerfully, "Georgiana, do you go to Fitzwilliam college?"

Georgiana smiled and said an almost inaudible yes.

"This is great. It must be a household joke," said Elizabeth smiling.

"Oh! Believe me. It is," Darcy said regaining his composure.

Thomas smiled and said, "I have thought of about five lines, I could say right about now. But don't worry I won't pester you any longer, young man,"

"Thank you Thomas. It's well appreciated," said Darcy. _It's quite obvious where Elizabeth gets her wit from, he thought._

"Elizabeth tells me, what a large office you have Mr Darcy," cried Mrs Bennet. No, Elizabeth hadn't told her mom anything.

Darcy just nodded, not exactly knowing the best course of action, which of course, was just to ignore.

"And you must have a very grand home?"

He again nodded.

"Where is it? Is it near Charles' home? " Fanny asked while grinning in Charles' direction.

"Yes," finally replied Darcy, clearly annoyed.

Elizabeth was getting very embarrassed and excused herself in the pretence of going to the washroom.

_Why must she embarrass me so? Every single time she will say something stupid. Today, however I've had enough. I'll talk to dad, she muttered to herself._

* * *

"It was nice to have you all here," said Mr Bennet.

"Come again soon," said Fanny. _As if, thought Elizabeth._

Caroline was giving tips to Mrs Bennet, "O! You must have a modular kitchen. A closed kitchen is so classic middle class," (**A/N:** **This one's for Sarabhai v/s Sarabhai!)**

"I will soon remodel the house. Thank you so much, Caroline,"

_Now, they are perfect companions_, thought Thomas Bennet, who was listening in to the conversation along with Elizabeth. If it was left up to Fanny Bennet, she would modify her house every single time they had guests. Well, guests like Caroline anyways and if the other Bennets were to be believed - that happened quite often.

The Darcys and Bingleys took their leave.

* * *

As soon as they left, Mrs Bennet called her sister to acquaint her with the happenings of the day. "Two of the most illustrious men in all of England came to my home," she was screeching.

"Well, well. Come on, you two. Let's go to the study," said Mr Bennet to his two daughters and lead them to the same.

"You two have been very busy lately," began Mr Bennet.

"Papa," they replied in unison.

"Jane, I haven't heard a word from you since last Tuesday,"

"I meant to call you. But then I called mama, and well then I forgot," replied Jane meekly.

A grin appeared on Thomas's face, "It is okay, Jane; you do not need to call your old man daily. However, once a week is mandatory,"

Jane nodded and smiled.

"Charles looks like a good man,"

"He is papa,"

"I am glad,"

"Don't ask anything more. She'll go on and on about him. Besides I can vouch for his good nature," joined Lizzy.

"I'll take your word for it then,"

"What about you, papa?" asked Jane.

"I am as well as I can be," he replied, "You seem rather flustered Lizzy. Would you like to say something?"

"It's about mama," said Lizzy after a few moments.

"I'll talk to her child. Do not worry," said Thomas.

"Thank you, papa,"

They talked about Lizzy's new job, Jane's new session and other general things. Then the Bennet sisters took their leave with a lot on their mind.

The day after would mean getting back to the normal routine. Darcy would once again assume the role of Elizabeth's boss. Jane would rejoin school and would no longer be able to have lunch with Charles as frequently. However, unbeknownst to them was that in two different cars not too far away, similar thoughts were on the minds of two of the most illustrious men in the whole of England.

**A/N : ****Happy Reading!**


	14. Cut to Birmingham The Hunsford twist

**Disclaimer: However much I wish otherwise, the characters belong to Miss Jane Austen.**

The rest of January passed smoothly enough. Charles, Jane, Elizabeth, Darcy, Chris and now Charlotte met regularly over the weekends. Chris and Charlotte immediately hit it off and were soon dating. This left Elizabeth and Darcy to fend for themselves in the supposedly 'friends outings' which had two couples, who had eyes only for each other. They passed their time well enough – arguing on one thing or the other. The earlier feud seemed to be forgotten for the time being.

Being the owner of three companies, Darcy was not always present in his hospitality branch. This meant much less awkward encounters between him and Elizabeth. When they did find themselves in the company of each other, they behaved civilly and no hint of being acquainted outside office was passed.

The Birmingham hotel project was coming on nicely and by mid-January everything had been finalized. The staff at Pemberley decided that a visit to the new hotel was in order and consequently plans were made for second week of February. Fitzwilliam Darcy, Mr Yardley and the heads of various teams who contributed in this project were to go.

Another development had taken place in January. Charlotte Lucas was employed by a large law firm in London but had to go to Birmingham for the first six months in her employment period. So, she and Elizabeth decided that this trip would provide the perfect opportunity for them to go and help Charlotte settle there. Of course, Chris would also be present in the aforementioned period.

* * *

Come February and the excited members of Pemberley Inc. saw the completed hotel for the first time. The results were great and surpassed Elizabeth's expectations. The rooms they her team had designed paled in comparison to the overall grandeur of the hotel, but were exquisite nonetheless.

Charlotte had already sublet an apartment and had her things moved. She along with Elizabeth and Chris unpacked her things and settled in the flat. Elizabeth decided to bunk with Charlotte for her stay.

Chris promised that he would visit regularly in the above stated six months to be with Charlotte as much as his work permitted. And in turn Charlotte made a similar promise.

* * *

On the second day of their visit, a launch party took place. Various media houses were invited to cover the event and a ball was organized. This is what a newspaper report read the day after.

_The new hotel in the chain of Pemberley hotels is exquisite. The overall theme is of Regency Era and Pemberley Inc. has done a marvellous job in incorporating the centuries old idea._

_The black tie event saw Fitzwilliam Darcy, the young owner of Pemberley Inc. don a sleek-looking Giorgio Armani suit. Initially during the evening he was surrounded by many people, mostly ladies but like always he did not pay any attention. However, as the evening progressed, he was seen opening up more. This effect was caused by a young lady dressed beautifully in an emerald colour dress, beside whom Darcy was standing for a better part of the evening. _

_(Right: A Picture of the young lady and Darcy laughing)_

_Chris Fitzwilliam, cousin of Darcy and an integral part of Pemberley, was also present in the party with his latest love interest. Catherine de Bourgh, Darcy's famous aunt-philanthropist was also spotted towards the end of the party._

_All in all, the event was a success and the new hotel receives a heads up from our side. Do check out what new the Pemberley Inc. has in store for you._

* * *

During the event, fellow colleagues were shocked to see the familiarity with which Elizabeth and Darcy were conversing. (Read – having a POLITE argument) Many also asked her about this. But she just said, "What? I was just justifying myself,", "I just clarified my point," or "Okay, he was right about that but you don't need to attack me," Nobody got a straight answer from her and well, Darcy, who was going to ask him?

Darcy danced with two people- Charlotte and Elizabeth. It seemed an improvement from the last time around, when he did not even dance once.

This even made Mr Yardley remark, "He seems happy to be here today,"

After the event was over, Charlotte and Elizabeth went back to the apartment.

* * *

The day after the party, the door bell sounded rather early in the morning, waking Elizabeth. It was Darcy.

She thought_, how does he know I am staying here? Oh! There's Chris. Thank God._

"Good morning, Miss Bennet," greeted Darcy as Chris came up behind him.

"Good Morning," she replied.

"Did we wake you up?" said Chris.

"Well, it seems so. But it is okay, come in," she said while holding the door open.

"Where's Charlotte?" asked Chris.

"We slept late. She must be still in bed. I'll get her,"

She went inside Charlotte's room and found out that she was already up and getting ready.

"Chris is here," said Elizabeth, "But, I guess you already know that,"

"Oh, shut up!" said Charlotte blushing, "Is Darcy also here?"

"How do you know?" asked Lizzy.

"I invited him,"

"What? Why?" exclaimed Lizzy.

"What do you mean, why? We are going out to have breakfast with them and later to the movies,"

"And why wasn't I informed about any of this?"

"Would you have said yes then?" asked Charlotte.

Elizabeth thought for a moment and then said," That's not fair,"

"Oh come on, stop being so sassy. We all are friends. Go get ready. You have twenty minutes," said Charlotte as she pushed Lizzy out of the room.

* * *

They had an English breakfast complete with the morning Chai*.

Darcy and Elizabeth were talking amongst themselves, "So, even she did not tell you about today's plans?"

"Nope," Elizabeth said and they both looked evilly at Charlotte and Chris, who were blissfully unaware of such conversation.

"Do you think they are trying to set us up?" said Darcy after a deep moment of thought.

"What?"

"Do you…"he began to repeat.

"No, I got what you're saying. I am just saying why do you think so?"

"Well…for starters, they could have come alone and enjoyed their day without us interfering with our arguments,"

_So he sees the arguments, thought Elizabeth_ and smiled inwardly. She loved to argue with him. She did not know why but hearing his voice talking to her gave her a weird sense of comfort. She experienced an indescribable feeling. Was she happy or not? She could not decide. She also thought about in which light Darcy thought about these little fights.

"Mm…It would seem so," said Elizabeth, "I'll have to talk to Charlotte about this. She's going to pay,"

After about five minutes of silence, Darcy again began," Do you think it's a good idea?"

"What is a good idea?"

"Us," he said and stopped abruptly.

_*Tea_

**A/N: A Cliff hanger! So, yeah! Review!**


	15. Hunsford Twist Carried On

**Disclaimer: However much I wish otherwise, the characters belong to Miss Jane Austen.**

"Us," he said and stopped abruptly. A vibration in his pocket was the cause of this abruptness, "Excuse me,"

_Hello, he answered his phone._

_Put him on Emma…. Good morning Mr Fleming…. Thank you, sir. _

He stood up and signalled one moment with his hand and went away from their table.

Elizabeth was still wondering about what he had said and more importantly what she would have said had the call not interrupted their conversation. And then suddenly out of the blue, a lanky man came up to their table and started his rant.

"Elizabeth! What a pleasant surprise?" shrieked Bill Collins breaking Elizabeth's reverie.

"Wish I could say the same," muttered Elizabeth and loudly said, "Oh hey! Bill,"

"Why? I had no idea you knew Mr Darcy,"

"This is Charlotte Lucas and Chris Fitzwilliam," Elizabeth said cutting his rant.

"Mr Fitzwilliam, it is a pleasure to meet you again,"

Confused, Chris replied, "Have we met before?"

"Why? Of course, at your aunt – the great Mrs de Bourgh's house," said Collins.

"…You're the cr…the accountant," said Chris recalling the odious man.

"Yes…And what a pleasure to meet you Miss Lucas," he said while taking her 'unoffered' hand.

Charlotte shook his hand uncomfortably and said a meek, "You too,"

At this point in time, Darcy also came back to the table.

"Mr Darcy, it is an honour to meet you, sir," began Collins while Darcy eyed him suspiciously.

"This is the accountant I told you about," said Chris trying to control his laughter, "Bill Collins,"

"Oh," Darcy sighed before taking Bill's proffered hand, which by the way was hanging there for a whole minute.

Meanwhile, as soon as Darcy came back, Elizabeth's thoughts went back to the conversation. _It's not a good idea, she thought._

"Well guys, I am so sorry to ruin the plans for today. But I've got to run to London urgently," said Darcy and then turned towards Chris, "I'll meet you tomorrow,"

"What's the matter?" asked Chris.

"I am meeting Mr Fleming," he replied, "I'll fill you in later,"

"You need the car?" asked Chris. They all had travelled through the same car. Collins seemed happy by this and offered to drive. This produced horrid expressions on everyone's faces.

"It's okay, Mr Collins," Darcy cut him in, "I am taking the taxi,"

"Mr Darcy, I don't think it's a good idea," said Elizabeth just as Darcy was walking away.

Darcy looked at her, confused for a moment and then realization dawned on him and he nodded and continued walking.

"What was that about?" asked Charlotte.

"We were arguing about something. You know, the usual," Lizzy replied in a monotonous tone, "By the way, you and I have a lot to discuss," Charlotte just looked at her trying to discern her expression but couldn't and ultimately gave up.

"Well, Bill it was nice meeting you," said Chris as he and the girls got up as quickly as possible to remove themselves from his company.

* * *

Later while going to the movies Chris erupted into uncontrollable laughter, "How the hell do you know him, Lizzy?"

"Don't ask," she replied, "He's probably in love with your aunt,"

"Believe me, I know," replied Chris and added, "Seriously though, HOW?"

"He is my father's old friend's son," Elizabeth replied.

"Whoa! He's the one who stayed at your parent's home," joined Charlotte.

"Yup, the one and only," said Elizabeth.

* * *

After watching the movie, Charlotte and Elizabeth were safely to back to former's apartment.

"Are you and Chris trying to set me up with Darcy?" asked Elizabeth.

"What? No, what gives you that idea?" Charlotte replied all too quickly.

"You are, aren't you?"

"No I'm not,"

"Fine, I don't even want your reason for that is NEVER going to happen," said Elizabeth.

"It's settled then," began Charlotte after a moment, "Was 'I don't think it is a good idea' a part?"

Elizabeth didn't say anything for a moment and then said, "No, that was different,"

"Okay, well you're going tomorrow. So, can we please talk about something else?"

"Okay," Lizzy said nonchalantly.

* * *

Once back in London, Elizabeth's team was assigned a new project in Derbyshire. Everyone on Elizabeth's team, rather floor suspected that something was going on between Darcy and Elizabeth. But all their queries were tactfully avoided, not denied though.

On February twentieth, a whole ten days after the breakfast in Birmingham, Elizabeth was summoned to Darcy's office.

"He wants to talk about the project. Derbyshire is the homeland of the Darcys," Mr Yardley was saying, "He wants It to be perfect,"

"Is he talking to everybody?" Elizabeth asked. She was not really ready to face him alone.

"Yes, but separately,"

_Oh Darn, she thought._

* * *

Elizabeth and Mr Yardley entered Darcy's office.

"Good afternoon, sir," said Yardley and Elizabeth soon followed.

"Good afternoon Mr Yardley, El…Miss Bennet,"

They talked about the project and about its significance and then Yardley left leaving Darcy and Elizabeth alone.

They continued talking about the project for a bit when Darcy suddenly spoke, "Elizabeth, why is it not a good idea?"

Startled she replied, "This hotel is a great idea, sir,"

"I'm not talking about the hotel," he said.

_**Please Review!**_


	16. Rejected!

**Disclaimer: However much I wish otherwise, the characters belong to Miss Jane Austen.**

"Fitzwilliam, I think...," Elizabeth began.

"You know, you're the only one who calls me that," Darcy interrupted.

"What?"

"Fitzwilliam, well...aside from Aunt Catherine, that is...did you meet her?" said Darcy hurriedly.

"I did, Chris took us there, the evening you came here," said Elizabeth, "She is...,"

_Elizabeth found Catherine de Bourgh very amusing, the sort who was very obsessed with herself. But what stole the show for her was the exchange between Collins and Catherine. It was, as if two people with OCD were talking to each other trying to battle it out in Dumb Charades, only dumb did not mean the loss of ability of speech. _

Darcy's deliberate cough brought back Elizabeth to reality as he was patiently waiting for her to declare her opinion about his aunt.  
"...amusing," finished Elizabeth.

Darcy stifled a little in response and said, "That's the best description I've ever got." He continued, "No, no don't get me wrong. As an aunt, I have the highest respect for her but; she can be a little overbearing at times,"

"Well...I agree," was all that Elizabeth could say in reply.

After a few moments of silence, Darcy said, "That brings us back to -Why?"  
With the time she got to think in between this conversation, she had formulated a somewhat satisfactory reply considering he was ,after all, her boss.

"Mr Darcy, I think we are two very different people and it wouldn't work out,"

Nothing was said for the next minute and then Elizabeth got up and said, "I will take your leave now,"

"Would you care to elaborate?" exclaimed Darcy just as she was about to leave.

Elizabeth stared at him dumbfounded. _Why is he doing this to me? She thought. _

"Do you not like me?" continued Darcy, who was a little flustered about how could no one want to go out with the OWNER of PEMBERLEY. Well apparently – Elizabeth Bennet, the only girl who had managed to get into his big head.

"I like you, but as I said – we are two very different people and it wouldn't work out,"

"That's still no answer,"

"You're my boss," said Elizabeth and before could say anything else was cut by Darcy himself, "Is that it? Are you afraid that people will talk about it? That you're just doing this to get a promotion? I know that it will probably be considered a very reprehensible connection, me being your boss and owner of this company and all. I thought so myself before. I mean, you are after all from a middle class family. But I like you and I am willing to overlook all the differences between us,"

"Wow! And I thought you had improved," said Elizabeth after a few moments. Darcy just stared at her waiting for her to explain.

"I was right in my opinion of you," she continued.

"That is all the answer I am to expect?" said Darcy after a minute.

"Does your ego need any more feeding? You are just a condescending jerk. Just another spoilt brat who thinks money can buy everything,"

"It's not an easy decision for me Elizabeth. I cannot help whom I fell in l…a…have feelings for," replied Darcy containing the depth of his feelings at the last moment.

"Which proves my point; I will take your leave now. On second thought, may be Wickham was right," was all that she said before storming off.

* * *

"_I hate him," Elizabeth was muttering to herself, "Is he living in the eighteenth century? You belong to a middle class family – like it's a crime? Jerk,"_

Elizabeth went back to her team in no humour to answer their queries about the new project. She just wanted to go for a long solitary walk and clear her head. She had much to think about. Darcy was her boss and this little meeting could well result in her getting fired. And Darcy being Darcy, she didn't put it past him. He sure had to give a good reason but the CEO of a large company could take some liberties. With these thoughts she left the office just before lunch time. She decided she would walk to her apartment, giving herself ample time to clear her head in solitude.

* * *

**A/N: ****Review and let me know what you think!**


	17. What will I do without you?

**Disclaimer: However much I wish otherwise, the characters belong to Miss Jane Austen.**

On the way to her home, Elizabeth decided to take a little detour. She wanted enough time to recollect her thoughts and quite frankly, did not want to face Jane that very second. She wanted to talk to her, but knowing her, it was likely that Darcy would be defended.

After walking aimlessly for about half an hour, Elizabeth arrived at the university area. Her thoughts immediately went back in time, a time when things were much simpler. She did not want to lose her job over this. Although it had been a short phase of two months in the current building, she had come to love this job very dearly. Her creativity was not only recognized but also appreciated there. She walked around for another hour or so and then took a taxi home.

"Hey! Jane," Lizzy greeted her sister.

"Oh! Hi," replied Jane looking away from the assignments she was correcting, "Early day?"

"I was exhausted," exasperated Elizabeth.

"Sit. I'll make you a cup of tea,"

"You're such an angel Jane," Lizzy said, "Why can't everybody be like you?"

"What's wrong?" asked Jane in all seriousness.

"I…Dar…I don't even know where to begin," she said on the verge of breaking down.

"It's okay…" said Jane while placing a comforting hand around her, "You know, you can tell me anything,"

"I know," she said, "It's… just that…I think I am going to lose my job,"

"Oh! Lizzy…I am sure you're not. What happened?"

A moment of silence passed and then Lizzy continued, "Did you know Darcy liked me?"

"I had my suspicions," said Jane.

"Well, he does. He said he liked me and I refused him,"

"He's a professional Lizzy. You're not going to lose your job," said Jane after a moment.

"That's not it. I said some things…He insulted me," continued Lizzy and with a bitter laugh added, "He said ours will be a reprehensible connection because he's the owner of such a mighty company and I am this teeny tiny nobody,"

"He did not," said Jane in her typical fashion.

"Well, not in so many words. But he made it pretty clear,"

"Come here," said Jane and enveloped Lizzy in a hug. "Don't think about that now. Drink tea and help me with these assignments,"

"What will I do without you?"

"Oh! Gosh, I have to remind you so many times – You'll be doomed Lizzy, doomed!" Jane replied with a slight chuckle.

* * *

The following day, in the office, Mr Yardley asked her about her meeting with Darcy. She just replied, "It's a very special place. And do not worry Mr Yardley; we will not disappoint you,"

"I'm sure," replied he and added, "Elizabeth, I just want you to know that although you're so young and you've been here for just about two months, you've done a great job. Keep it up,"

"Thank you, Mr Yardley,"

Back in her chamber, she could sense a vague presence of Darcy because of the smell. But given her thoughts, she did not give it much credence.

_What is wrong with me?_ She mumbled to herself and left her chamber.

She found John coming in and greeted him, "Morning, John!"

"Morning, Elizabeth," he replied, "What happened yesterday?"

"Oh! I had a head ache,"

"Hmm…You're okay now?"

"Yes," she replied vaguely as they walked towards the cubicles.

Greetings were exchanged.

"So, listen up, we begin with the new project today. It's a hotel in Derbyshire," said Elizabeth and then went on to tell the details of the project. And the rest of the day at office was spent working.

* * *

Elizabeth reached home quarter to six and found a message on the fridge.

_I_ _have gone out with Charles; will be back by eight. _

Looking at the message she laughed slightly. Writing a message on the fridge and still Jane did not use short hand. _If it were left up to her, she would certainly write the whole message in the correct format, Elizabeth thought._

But then a gloomy feeling overtook her.

_Did she really hate Darcy? Or was it just because of the things he had said to her whether intentionally or unintentionally? Was he really that bad? He took great care of his sister and friends. He treated Charles almost as a brother and Chris; Chris had praised him so much. Was he really that bad? Was he? Do I really hate him? _This was all she could think of before falling asleep on the sofa.

* * *

"Hey! Lizzy," Jane said while entering the apartment.

"Hey! Lizzy," sounded another voice behind her. It was Charles.

Another identical greeting was heard. This time it was Mr Fitzwilliam.

"Hey! I had no idea you guys would also be coming," said Lizzy. "Did you also go along with them, Chris?"

"Oh! No, I just met them downstairs," he replied.

"I had written that Charles will also come," said Jane in her defence.

"Where?"

"On the note," said Jane looking at Elizabeth incredulously, "Didn't you turn it around?"

"Jane, either write on a larger paper or write in short forms. You defeat the whole purpose of a casual message," replied Lizzy while returning Jane's stern gaze, "Well, anyways since you guys are here. What are we doing? Chris?"

"I was just passing through the area, I thought I'd drop by and say hi," he said.

Elizabeth just stared at him, somehow knowing that that was not his real motive.

"Well, have you had dinner?" asked Jane, "As I had 'originally' planned – we could go out for dinner,"

"Well, I haven't, so alright. You're plans are not 'ruined'," said Elizabeth and turned towards her guest, "Chris?"

"You sure, I won't be an imposition?"

"Nonsense, let's go," said Jane.

**A/N: ****I would be glad if I could hear from you. Drop a line!**


	18. The Letter

**Disclaimer: However much I wish otherwise, the characters belong to Miss Jane Austen.**

"Let me just grab my coat," said Elizabeth.

"Okay, we'll wait downstairs," said Charles.

Chris held his hand up and said, "...Uh…I'll have a glass of water, you guys go down. I'll come with Elizabeth,"

Elizabeth waited for Jane and Charles to go before addressing Chris, "Well, what do you want to talk about?"

"How'd you know?" Chris asked.

"Oh! Come one,"

"Very well, have you talked to Char lately?" Chris asked.

"No, it has been a while," Lizzy replied honestly.

"Oh! Darn,"

"Why? What happened? Did you guys break up?" asked Lizzy hurriedly.

"What! No, nothing of that sort, Geez!" he said blushing profusely.

"You said it, didn't you?" asked Elizabeth cheekily.

"Yeah! Oh God! I just needed to tell somebody that," he replied, crimson red by now.

"Wow! Congratulations! I really do need to talk to her," she said joyfully.

"Well, I was thinking- she's coming here after three weeks for her graduation ceremony and I want to give her a surprise party. What do you think?" Chris said.

"That sounds wonderful. Just a little friendly advice - don't drop any hints as to any surprise. She gets all worked up," Lizzy said.

"Duly noted, I was thinking of inviting all her friends. You're going to help me?"

"Of course!" she exclaimed.

Just as Elizabeth was walking past him, Chris startled her by saying, "I do have something else to say…well… something to give you, is more like it," Chris said.

He put his hand in the coat pocket and retrieved a letter and then began, "It's from William,"

Elizabeth just stood there staring at the identified object and muttered, "Has a Bentley, can't drive to give it to me himself,"

"He thought, you'd most likely not even buzz him up or shut the door to his face,"

"Likely," she replied vaguely.

"Listen Elizabeth, I know Will isn't your favourite person right now. But believe me he's not all bad,"

"I'll keep that in mind," said Elizabeth before retrieving the 'offending' object from Chris's hand and putting it in the first drawer of the side table.

She got her coat and they rode down the elevator together.

"Should you have any questions," began Chris, "…about the…letter, you can ask me,"

"Did he tell you everything?" asked Elizabeth in all seriousness and not really comforted by Chris's frank conversation.

"Afraid so," said Chris before joining Jane and Charles, "He's a good guy Lizzy. I cannot, for heavens though defend his abominable behaviour and remarks. But I just want you to know, he's really sorry,"

* * *

Dinner was excellent and conversation flowed easily among the foursome. Darcy was almost as present in their little meetings nowadays and even stopped being his brooding self for a while. However, the Darcy topic was not infringed upon and for that Elizabeth was grateful.

Divulging from her own problems for a while, Elizabeth decided to observe her blushing sister and Charles. _They are in love. Hopelessly and passionately in love, a love which was built on solid ground and was unlikely to ever fade away, she concluded._

* * *

Back at home Elizabeth was in two minds about reading the letter. But curiosity got better off her and she decided to peruse the letter. On the front side of an official Pemberley envelope in a very beautiful hand was written _Miss Elizabeth Bennet._

The letter was soon opened and the length of the letter was examined first. It was lengthy panning across almost three sides. It began as:

_Kensington Palace Gardens London_

_Do not be alarmed Miss Bennet, this letter does not contain any renewal of my addresses. It was not my intention to disgust you. Now, all I wish for is that you read the contents of this letter with a fresh mind and give it credence. However, should you not take my word; you may ask Chris for ratification. I would like to acquaint you with my dealings with Mr George Wickham. Since I do not know what stories he has told you about me, I am going to begin from the very beginning. _

_George Wickham was the son of my father's steward. One summer day in the year 1993, he had come to our house in Derbyshire. As we were almost the same age, I befriended him quickly and we became great friends. We use to play together and after seeing how inseparable we had become, my father had him over almost every day. We were good playmates. However, as we grew older, his interests changed. He no longer wanted to be just my friend, but take advantage of my father's money. I still called him a friend, but no longer were we the buddies we used to be. _

_At Cambridge, my father continued to support his education being unaware of all that Wickham had been up to. I did not want to burden him with the truth and let it continue as it is. I wished rather than believed that college would make him more responsible. But alas! It was not to be. He started doing drugs and sleeping with every woman he could get his hands on. He dropped after the second year and took away the money deposited for the third year. I am sorry to burden you with such details regarding a man you scarcely know. But your comments had hurt me and I just wanted to present my side of the story. It was also necessary to tell you all those details as the following would have been incomprehensible without the knowledge of his character._

_Last summer, when Georgiana was just seventeen years old, Wickham befriended her and with his 'sweet' manner entered Georgiana's heart quickly. He convinced her that if she could get some money, they'd have a happy life together. I was busy with work and international business tours and thus all this was unknown to me. However, when Georgiana suddenly got all curious about where all the money is and how can she access it, I got a little worried. Not because I did not trust her, but because I did not trust the world outside. I cut my tour short and came home unexpectedly. She was with Wickham and a lot of money stashed in a duffel bag. You should know that she knew Wickham as my childhood friend but nothing after that. After seeing me, Wickham got all worked up and held Georgiana by her neck as his bargaining chip to get out of the house, and in that he succeeded. This was a traumatic experience for her and I do not want her to relive it. But I'm assured of your secrecy and trust you in this matter. _

_We never met him after that, until you met him in Berkshire. Do you remember that Chris and I went for some work? It was actually to meet Wickham and see what he was up to. I knew his character and only, therefore advised you against meeting him. It was not my aim to insinuate anything; I was just very worried and did not want to see you get hurt. But I managed to just the same and I am really sorry for it. I would also like to apologize to you for any other mistake I have committed; it was unintentional. That being said, I would be glad if we could still remain friends. I would hate to lose your friendship over my stupidity. I will only add, god bless you._

_Fitzwilliam Darcy_

Elizabeth read the letter at least ten times and tried to make sense of it. Try as she might, she could not help but believe Darcy. _After all what sort of person just walks up to you and tell his whole life history, she thought. _She was in half a mind to actually ask Chris, but decided against it, because the shear description of all the events in the letter compelled her to believe Darcy. She was also surprised and, quite frankly, humbled by Darcy's gesture. _To trust someone with such sensitive knowledge of one's own sister, he must really have faith in me, she thought. _Darcy's apologies were also taken into consideration and Elizabeth was once again humbled. With this turmoil going on in her head, Elizabeth dozed off.

**A/N: Happy Reading!**


	19. I like him!

**Disclaimer: However much I wish otherwise, the characters belong to Miss Jane Austen.**

In the last weeks of February and the starting weeks of March, Fitzwilliam and Elizabeth found themselves in each others' red-faced company quite often. The Derbyshire project demanded approval from Darcy at all times. This was by far Pemberley Inc.'s biggest project and thus required special attention. However, to lessen the embarrassment on both their parts, they always had other people around them. A few Fitzwilliams and Elizabeths were mumbled by mistake, but nothing too serious to let other people know. It was difficult to concentrate on work initially but then they grew use to it. Knowing each other better now also allowed them to truly reflect their thoughts about one another.

Evaluating their acquaintance from the very starting, Elizabeth came up with a list.

_Reasons why I hate Fitzwilliam Darcy:_

_1) He insulted me. (Twice)_

_2) He was rude when I first met him._

_3) He was arrogant._

_4) He was…._

_Reasons why I…don't hate Fitzwilliam Darcy_

_1) He apologized to me in all sincerity. (More than Twice)_

_2) I love talking to him._

_3) He was not rude but shy._

_4) He was not arrogant but shy._

_5) He has a million dollar smile. And that smile has a fluttery effect on my stomach._

_6) He is a true gentleman._

The reasons, extracted from her mind, to not hate Darcy clearly outweighed the reasons to hate Darcy. But what sealed the deal for her was that her heart also indicated to the same thing. _Yes, I do not hate Fitzwilliam Darcy, she accepted._

* * *

The preparation for the graduation ceremony after – party was in full flow. The open banquet hall of one of the Pemberley Hotels was reserved, guests invited and caterers hired. No hint of such celebrations was passed on to Charlotte. So when Eleventh March finally came, she was pleasantly surprised by the entire buzz created just for her. She considered herself lucky to have found a loving and caring man such as Chris and even luckier by the fact that she loved him in return, truly loved him.

In attendance were the Lucases, the Bennets, the Bingleys, a few other family friends and a certain Darcy. A lot of Charlotte's school and college friends were also able to make it after Elizabeth's persuasion.

"Thank you, Elizabeth," Charlotte said to Lizzy when they were alone towards the end of the party.

"Don't thank me. This is all your lover boy's doing," Lizzy teased her and Charlotte blushed.

After a few minutes of general talk Charlotte asked Lizzy, "So, what's going on between you and Darcy?"

They had talked about it at some length over the phone. Plus, Chris had also told Charlotte about his cousin.

"I don't know what to do," Lizzy sighed.

"Lizzy, just remember, an eye for an eye makes the whole world go blind," Charlotte said in all wisdom. "You cannot go on hating him forever when I can clearly see that you like being with him."

"I don't hate him. But you don't understand. It's not about me anymore. He hates me," Lizzy said.

"What! What makes you say that?" Charlotte replied a little shocked, "Have you not seen him today?"

"What about today?"

"Do you remember when he first met us? Did he talk to anyone?"

"No," Lizzy said.

"Exactly! But today, he was well, at least trying to talk to people," Charlotte said, "And on top of that he kept looking towards you to see if you were pleased."

"He was not watching me,"

"He was and whenever you smiled or laughed, he also smiled. A very faint smile, but a smile nevertheless,"

"I don't believe you,"

"Well, first of all, I think you're over analyzing everything. Answer one simple question and I want a clear cut answer. Can you do that?" asked Charlotte and as Lizzy nodded she continued, "Do you like Fitzwilliam Darcy?"

Now that was a tough question. She had been thinking about it ever since she received the letter. But now she had decided that if she hadn't liked him, all of this would not have been causing such pain.

"Yes, I do. I do like him," Lizzy finally admitted.

A smile overcome Charlotte's features, "Now go tell him that,"

"I can't do that," Lizzy said, her voice a little heavy.

"You can and you will. He loves you Lizzy and he has become a better person because of that. Now put his miserable soul out of misery and tell him what you just told me,"

Lizzy didn't say anything but just hugged Charlotte tightly.

"Hey, did you hear the about the new Bond movie?" Charlotte asked trying to lighten up the atmosphere.

"It's titled Skyfall. And of course, I've heard about it. I am so excited,"

"I knew it. We'll watch it together,"

"Oh! Yes! That would be amazing and wear that Bond t-shirt I gave you."

Charlotte just shook her head.

"What! You started it and now deal with the consequences," Lizzy smirked.

* * *

Lizzy went home alone as Jane went with Charles. She was feeling considerably better and lighter. She was now at least clear about her own feelings. She liked Darcy and was sure of it.

**A/N: Press that blue button that says 'Review'.**


	20. All's well that ends well!

**Disclaimer: However much I wish otherwise, the characters belong to Miss Jane Austen.**

**A/N: I want to take a moment here and thank all the reviewers.**

Elizabeth woke up to a new morning in more than one sense. Being decided about her feelings had given her some kind of solace, but on the other hand, the possibility of rejection was playing on her nerves. For the first time in her life, she understood the true meaning of the phrase so often used by her mother- 'What will happen to my nerves?' She could bear it no longer. She felt that she probably could handle the rejection but not the ignorance.

So, with a firm resolve to set things straight, Elizabeth headed towards the office. After working on the project for about two hours straight, Elizabeth and her team got some well deserved break.

This was Elizabeth's window of opportunity to let her heart out. She found Mr Yardley in his eighth floor office and requested him to give her the lift clearance.

"Mr Yardley, I want to meet Mr Darcy…Could you please give me your access card?" Elizabeth said to him.

"Mr Darcy? Why?" Mr Yardley asked.

"It's really important…Don't worry it's not about the project,"

"Well, I don't know if I should do that."

"All responsibility is mine," Elizabeth said, "I would go to the reception and ask there… if it's any problem,"

"Oh! No I trust you. Here," he said as he handed her the card.

_Darn these security protocols, Elizabeth muttered under her breath._

* * *

"Good afternoon, Emma. Is he in?" Elizabeth asked as she reached outside Darcy's office.

Emma looked over from her computer screen and said, "Yes, does he have a meeting with you?"

"I am afraid not. But I need to meet him. It's important,"

"Well, with this project, I won't stop you. Just let me ask him," Emma said obligingly and used the intercom to communicate with Darcy.

_For the greater good…I can keep the truth from her, Can't I? Lizzy thought to herself._

"He's not picking up the receiver. Must be busy… Let me see," Emma continued and got up from her chair and opened Darcy's office door ever so slightly.

"Miss Bennet is here to see you, sir," Emma said to Darcy.

He had a mobile attached to his left ear; a laptop open in front of him and a file open in his right hand. But what he did was – ignore all that and concentrate on what Emma said. _Elizabeth is here to see me, his mind kept replaying the words._

After a few moments he said, "Uh...Show her in,"

Once inside, Elizabeth had a hard time making eye contact with Fitzwilliam. He gestured for her to sit down and wait for a moment. After completing the phone call, he placed the file on the table, put the laptop lid down and stared at Elizabeth.

"How can I help you?" asked Darcy after few moments.

"Fitz…Mr Darcy," she began.

"Fitzwilliam is fine," Darcy cut in.

Elizabeth looked directly at Darcy, and all the things she wanted to say came out without coherence at some times "I am sorry…I am sorry for all that I said and even thinking about believing Wickham. Georgiana must've been devastated at that time… You've been such a good brother to her."

"Miss Bennet. May I call you Elizabeth?" he asked, without meaning to.

Elizabeth nodded and Darcy continued, "You don't have to apologize. In retrospect, I think…no… I know I am the one who should say sorry. The things I said…," said Darcy shaking his head and momentarily closing his eyes added, "I am such a jerk. You're the most wonderful woman I've ever known…and I ruined it,"

Elizabeth took his hand in her hands and said, "Fitzwilliam, look at me. We both made mistakes and we're not proud of it. I think we can agree on that at least." Elizabeth smiled slightly.

"We can," Darcy said almost in a whisper.

"But I think it's time we forgive each other. I have something important to say…no…no…please don't stop me…," Elizabeth said. It was now her turn to close her eyes. She added, "I like you…There I said it…I like you, Fitzwilliam Darcy. Please tell me I haven't ruined it,"

A broad school - boy smile happened over Darcy's face and followed on Elizabeth's features.

"Say it again please," he requested.

"I like you very much," Elizabeth said with much more assurance.

"I like you too, Elizabeth," said Fitzwilliam.

They talked to each other for a few minutes still confessing the extent of their feelings and apologizing profusely for their previous actions. LOVE was on both their lips, but was refrained from using because of the fear of scaring the other.

"Fitzwilliam, make a promise. We'll never blame each other for the past,"

"I promise," he said as he place his index finger and thumb on his neck to swear in Kindergarten - style.

Elizabeth laughed and Darcy joined, "I knew you had it in you! I have to go back now,"

Darcy nodded. He had already stopped Elizabeth three times. Elizabeth got up to leave but before she went out the door Darcy got up and said, "Elizabeth…Can you pinch me? You know…to prove that this is not a dream,"

"Oh! I think I can do much better than that," she replied with arched eyebrows.

Lizzy went over to Darcy and kissed him. Their first kiss! The words- heaven was bestowed on both their parched lips could not be any truer as in that moment. Darcy didn't move for a moment and after taking a step back Elizabeth observed Darcy. He was standing there with a dreamy look. "And you called me tolerable," Elizabeth teased Darcy, bringing him back to Earth.

"And I apologize for it with all my heart," he said, with a smile on his face, as he took Elizabeth in his arms for a final parting hug. Of this time!

**A/N: Review!**


	21. Elizabeth and Darcy ONLY!

**Disclaimer: However much I wish otherwise, the characters belong to Miss Jane Austen.**

Having come to an understanding and leaving behind the misunderstandings, both Elizabeth and Darcy were incandescently happy. They still fought, argued and got annoyed with each other but now there was always an element of love and playfulness in these actions.

The news of them being together was not known to the general populace yet. And the news of going to the annual Pemberely Charity fundraiser together was not comforting Lizzy any better.

"What colour will you wear for the ball?" Darcy asked Elizabeth over the phone.

"You're extremely sure about this?" Elizabeth finally asked the question which was going in on her mind for days now.

"I want my tie to be the same colour as your dress. What do you want me to be sure about?" Fitzwilliam asked.

"Yup, that's what I am talking about," Lizzy said sarcastically, "To hell with the freaking tie, Darcy!" she exclaimed.

"LIzzy, is everything alright?" Darcy asked, very worried for her, "What happened?"

"I am sorry. I shouldn't have shouted. I...I am …just worried about this…this event," said Lizzy, "I don't want people to get the wrong idea,"

"And what idea is that exactly?" Darcy said calmly.

"Sleeping with my boss to get a promotion?" Lizzy said as a matter-of-factly.

"Lizzy, you need to stop thinking about that. We've talked about this. We cannot let this come between us,"

It had been difficult for both of them to adapt to a new relationship. They were both new to this field. Always a tomboy in school and college years, Lizzy had not really been in any real relationship, whereas in Darcy's case- he had been a recluse up until now. He was involved in a few relationships before, but none were with anyone he remotely loved. He did not want to upset Elizabeth and the same could be said for Elizabeth.

"I know….I know, but you cannot deny that rumours won't surface?"

"What if they do? They will still be rumours, right? Besides, I won't go on proclaiming you there. It's just a formal BUSINESS event… Now which colour? And I'll be at your place in 20 minutes,"

"I am torn between blue and green. Pick one," Elizabeth said after a moment.

"Blue," Darcy said very quickly.

"That was real quick!"

"My favourite colour is blue… okay, that's a lie… Blue tie is in my hand right now; less work for me!" Darcy said.

"I knew it! You, Fitzwilliam Darcy, are not as innocent as people often make you out to be," Lizzy exclaimed, "Now hurry over,"

She could almost hear Darcy laugh before hanging up.

* * *

The fund-raiser went extremely well. Well, it at least surpassed Lizzy's expectations. She got to meet a lot of people whom she had only heard about on television. And being of a lively and witty disposition, despite being nervous, she had loads of fun. Darcy was a complete gentleman. And for the first time, since at least Elizabeth had known him, was at ease at a social event.

"William," Mr Rochester of Bing Pharmacy was saying, "It's a charming event you've organized here,"

"Thank you Mr Rochester. It's a pleasure that you could join us today," Darcy said with Elizabeth standing beside him. He then introduced Lizzy to this man, who had been his father's friend, as his girlfriend. He actually beamed while saying it. He was very happy and it literally showed.

"I haven't seen you this happy since you organized this event with your father back in 06," Mr Rochester said once Elizabeth had gone to meet her sister.

Darcy blushed and couldn't say anything more than, "Well…"

Darcy talked, paid compliments and danced like any other host should at such an event. And in his mind, only Elizabeth was the one who should be thanked for this transformation. After the customary rounds of greeting his guests, Darcy spent the whole evening beside Elizabeth.

And at the end of the evening, nobody (well, almost!) thought of Elizabeth in the wrong light. In fact, they were all praises. "They look fabulous together," and, "And look how charming he is today," were the comments mostly heard. But there were always people like Caroline, "Did you see her clinging to him all evening? Poor Willy!"

* * *

Darcy drove Elizabeth back to her place. They talked about how the evening progressed and how irrational was Elizabeth's fear. She was really rubbing off on him as he teased her quite a bit. But that did not mean that there weren't awkward moments for Fitzwilliam Darcy.

"I was thinking- if we could go away for the weekend and you know actually do that thing you keep referring to- sleep together," Darcy was saying at one point in time.

Lizzy's face fell. And Darcy realized the weight of his words. He continued, "Oh bullocks! I did not mean it like that…I just want to spend some time with you… You do know… I won't…pressurize…"

A teasing smile overcame Lizzy's features and with a laugh she said, "You are so silly sometimes…I was only contemplating on where we can go. Right now, I can afford a Swiss holiday and if you want something more conventional…you know the cabin sort of thing…we could also do that,"

A relieved Darcy said, "You scare me sometimes,"

Lizzy just patted on his shoulder in an act of comforting him, "You look so cute when you're flustered,"

"Cute?" Darcy asked, obviously not liking the adjective she used to describe him.

"Yeah!"

"And this trip's on me," Darcy put it there as an idea. Not as some boasting, but just as a polite offer.

"Absolutely not," Lizzy said with a straight face. They had talked about the finances and a consensus was reached (not as much as coming to a consensus; but Lizzy deciding was enough) that Darcy would not pay for her without her permission.

"Alright. I have a cabin up north. Can we at least use that?"

"Sure," said Lizzy with a smug smile on her face.

"Right, milady!" Darcy said and kissed that smugness off her face as the car came to a halt, indicating the end of the journey.

**A/N: I would love to know your thoughts on this chapter and the whole story together. So review if you have the time and thanks for reading!**


	22. The future - Epilogue

**A/N: Thank you for reading the story. Check my other P&P stories, if you've time and remember to review. They make me very happy!**

**Disclaimer: However much I wish otherwise, the characters belong to Miss Jane Austen.**

**EPILOGUE**

"I know usually the best man and the matron of honour give separate speeches but then that is for when usual people meet, fall in love and marry. Today however, my beautiful wife, Jane, and I, together, will tell you the tale of Elizabeth and Fitzwilliam Darcy," Charles Bingley was saying in his best man speech.

It was now Jane's turn and she sure didn't disappoint, "Contrary to the popular belief- my brother-in-law and my sister did NOT meet at a party. (A pointed look at the said couple, who always told people that they met at Charlotte's birthday party, was then bestowed by almost everyone assembled there) It was two days before Christmas, the year before the last, and they were both shopping at Sal's. What do you think they were doing?"

"Why, fighting, of course!" Bingley exclaimed. All eyes were now on a very red faced Darcys. Suddenly the plates in front of them were very interesting.

Bingley carried on, "But then Will realized that he loved Elizabeth, told her and well here we are…"

"Well, if only it were that simple," Jane continued with a mischievous grin to Lizzy and Will. "Was it now, Charles?"

"It indeed, was not. There was a lot of coercing, rejection and crushing of egos involved," Charles picked it up exactly where Jane left off; a similar smile playing on his face. "Now, however, we won't make the newly married blush…any…less..."

"Initially, Elizabeth 'hated' Darcy, sorry William…Lizzy used to call him that, don't blame me...And as they say there's a thin line between love and hate; but perhaps what is more plausible is that, she never really did hate him…"

"Nor did Will, for that matter…He did not find Lizzy 'barely tolerable' because it was more like excessively tolerable…Eh, Will?" Charles said.

_If these guys don't stop, I may have to commit murder, Will talked to Lizzy telepathically…well, okay with his overly – expressive eyes. _

_I don't want to go to jail for our honeymoon, Lizzy replied (yes, telepathy is a thing!)_

_You'll come and visit me to the jail also, Will replied, very touched by Lizzy's hypothetical reply._

_Well, partly…we'll be partners in crime, Lizzy replied and smirked._

Getting back to what Charles was saying, "…Well, seriously though, these two people love each other so much that they have overcome so many misunderstandings and have decided to live a very exciting life…because, let's face it when these two people, who are stubborn as hell, are together- there are bound to be plenty debates…giving us of course, more moments to actually enjoy our popcorns,"

"Congratulations to my little sister and my new brother!" concluded Jane amidst a healthy applause.

The wedding day of one Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy to one Miss Elizabeth Bennet had been eventful, to say the least. There were a lot of thoughts involved, no not the second (thoughts) kind…the how will s/he be feeling right now, kind…Plus, their friends and family had made it pretty memorable with a few witty speeches and a whole lot of carefully selected songs. Mrs. Bennet was justifiably, (yes, for once!) ecstatic and Mr. Bennet considered himself very lucky to have Charles and now Fitzwilliam as his sons-in-law. Georgiana was also very excited at the prospect of actually calling Lizzy - her sister. When around Lizzy, she had thrown away all the shyness, so characteristic of Darcy's, and had become great friends with her.

Their other friends and family had flown in from around the world to just give them their blessings and show how much they meant to them. Be it Will's college friends or Lizzy's high school friends, they had all celebrated their union with much enthusiasm.

So, when later in the evening, Chris and Charlotte persuaded Will to dance with Elizabeth again, Will had said to Elizabeth, "We're fools whether we dance or not, so we might as well dance*. Shall we, my love?" and led her to the dance floor.

Lizzy just looked at the Fitzwilliams with a 'is – this – the – same – guy – I – agreed – to – marry' look.

Once, Chris was out of earshot, Elizabeth said "Trying to impress, are we?"

"Well, I try," Will replied shyly, before placing his left arm on Lizzy's waist and swiftly leading her on to the dance.

"Moreover, I don't think you want these media people to report that Fitzwilliam Darcy declined to dance with his wife on their WEDDING day and in other news, Fitzwilliam Darcy has married Elizabeth Bennet!" teased Elizabeth.

The only loss Fitzwilliam was feeling was of his parents. Yes, his aunt and uncle had been always there, solid as a rock to support him. His sister and cousin had also been there, but somewhere down the line, he missed his mother's sweet smile and father's mischievous grin. Now, with Elizabeth by his side, Will's pains would be considerably lessened.

* * *

_*Japanese proverb._

* * *

_Two years later_

"And how is my little niece doing?" William was asking Elizabeth, who had just returned from visiting Jane, Charlotte and little Miss Margaret Bingley

"Apart from insisting that her uncle Willy has taught her that 2 comes after A, she's doing pretty well," Lizzy smirked.

"Well, she really took to playing cards. But really, Charles is as much to blame…we did, after all teach her how to play Snap! together…" Fitzwilliam defended himself.

"Oh! Believe me; Jane's going to take his class too…" Elizabeth teased him before kissing him soundly. She arched her eyebrow and continued, "Now, I don't really feel like talking…I want Margeret to have a cousin to play with,"

Fitzwilliam, of course got the message.

* * *

Suffice to say, dear readers, the Bingleys, the Fitzwilliams and the Darcys lived a very happy life as friends and family. The juniors came with time and continued the family tradition of joking around and more importantly, staying with each other in times of need. It may also be a point to note that like their parents, they were also not afraid of looking after their friends. Even if it meant forcing out confessions; who knew that there were more Elizabeth Bennets and Fitzwilliam Darcys in the world?

**A/N: That 2 after an Ace thing actually happened with my two - year old cousin. She was quite adamant then! It was pretty funny!**

**Now that it's over I will really appreciate some feedback. It will lead to improvement and hence better stories. Even if the story has been out for a while, you could still review because I am still reading them.  
**

**Thank you!  
**


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